Health

A year into the Covid-19 pandemic, it appears that trends have finally shifted in a positive direction. New cases, hospitalizations and deaths are dropping rapidly, and the supply of available vaccine is growing. The country could be well on its way to herd immunity, the point at which enough people are protected against a disease

When you visit the doctor, often the first order of business is wrapping a blood pressure cuff around your arm and looking to the display screen for the magic number. What’s that number, you ask? Less than 120 over 80, or 120/80, measured in millimeters per mercury, is what has long been understood as within

You’re mindlessly scrolling on your phone after a long day at work, sifting through miles of negative posts. In what seems like minutes, hours have gone by. Doomscrolling has become a popular word over the past year to describe the habit of mindlessly scrolling through negative news. People lose their perception of time while scrolling

Wearing masks and other safety precautions are key to stop the spread of Covid-19 during indoor group exercise, according to two new reports published by the US Centers for Disease and Prevention. The two studies, published Wednesday, linked Covid-19 outbreaks over the summer to exercise facilities in Chicago and Honolulu. In the Chicago report, 60%

Two separate teams of researchers said this week they have found a worrying new coronavirus variant in New York City and elsewhere in the Northeast that carries mutations that help it evade the body’s natural immune response — as well as the effects of monoclonal antibody treatments. Genomics researchers have named the variant B.1.526. It

Children who are exposed to tobacco smoke have a greater chance of having high blood pressure, a new study has found. Researchers found 6% of children who were exposed to tobacco smoke had high blood pressure compared to 4% in children who weren’t exposed, according to a study published Tuesday in JAMA Network Open. The

A new ensemble forecast published Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests the daily Covid-19 death rate will slow in the coming weeks — good news following more than a month of declining case and hospitalization numbers. But now is no time to let up on safety measures — for several reasons

As demand for Covid-19 vaccines continues to outpace supply, there’s still not sufficient supply to cover everyone within even the top priority groups. But by targeting vaccine distribution to more specific vulnerable populations, states could have the opportunity to save thousands of lives and prevent even more hospitalizations, according to a new analysis. Around the

The US is one step closer to having a third Covid-19 vaccine and it can’t come soon enough. With people clamoring for a shot, it was welcome news that the US Food and Drug Administration’s analysis Johnson & Johnson’s trial data showed its vaccine is safe and effective. Here’s what that could mean for you.