As communities and businesses are opening, you may be looking for ways to resume some daily activities as safely as possible. While there is no way to ensure zero risk of infection, it is important to understand potential risks and how to adopt different types of prevention measures to protect yourself and to help reduce… Continue reading COVID-19: Deciding When to Go Out
Author: Jane Farrell
Staying Safe on the Road
Driving a car is one of the most ordinary, yet one of the riskiest, activities we engage in every day. According to the National Safety Council, 38,800 people died in car accidents in 2019, and millions more are injured each year. It’s one of the most serious public-health issues we face. Many things can make… Continue reading Staying Safe on the Road
Coronavirus: Is Handwashing Drying Your Skin?
Washing your hands is critical to slow the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). However, frequent handwashing can cause dry skin that can flake, itch, crack, and even bleed without proper precautions. And according to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), this can cause open wounds in your skin that can allow in bacteria and other… Continue reading Coronavirus: Is Handwashing Drying Your Skin?
COVID-19: Preventing Face-Mask Skin Problems
Masks play a vital role in reducing the spread of the coronavirus. But according to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), masks can also be hard on your skin, causing problems that range from acne and peeling skin to rashes and itchiness. To help prevent skin problems from developing under your mask, board-certified dermatologists suggest… Continue reading COVID-19: Preventing Face-Mask Skin Problems
How to Prevent Childhood Drownings
Drowning is one of the leading causes of childhood deaths. In children under the age of four, only birth defects claim more lives. In accidental deaths of children under the age of 15, it’s second only to car accidents. Knowing these sobering statistics is the first step in battling these preventable tragedies. I spoke with… Continue reading How to Prevent Childhood Drownings
A New COVID-19 Research Tool
The federal National Institutes of Health (NIH) has launched a centralized, secure “enclave” to store and study vast amounts of medical record data from people diagnosed with COVID-19 across the country. It is part of an effort, called the National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C), to help scientists analyze these data to understand the disease and… Continue reading A New COVID-19 Research Tool
Scams and COVID-19
To the stresses of the COVID-19 epidemic – fear of contracting the illness, working remotely, trying to balance parenthood and job – you can now add the possibility of being duped by unscrupulous sellers looking to make money from the crisis. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the cost of pandemic-related consumer fraud is… Continue reading Scams and COVID-19
Study: More Money Doesn’t Always Mean Better Heart Health
Being upwardly mobile isn’t always a good thing when it comes to a person’s health, a new study shows. The research appeared in a special spotlight issue of the Journal of the American Heart Association that explored the complex relationships between psychosocial factors and cardiovascular health. To study cardiometabolic health, the analysis focused on metabolic… Continue reading Study: More Money Doesn’t Always Mean Better Heart Health
COVID-19 and Pregnancy
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is launching a study to examine the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic during and after pregnancy, the agency said. In a news release, the NIH said that researchers in the study will analyze the medical records of up to 21,000 women to evaluate whether changes to healthcare delivery that… Continue reading COVID-19 and Pregnancy
FDA Withdraws Emergency Approval of Anti-Malaria Drugs to Treat COVID-19
The federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has withdrawn its emergency use authorization (EUA) of two anti-malaria drugs to treat COVID-19 patients, the agency said. The drugs affected, chloroquine phosphate and hydroxychloroquine sulfate, are normally used to combat malaria. But under the EUA, the FDA allowed them to be used to treat some patients with… Continue reading FDA Withdraws Emergency Approval of Anti-Malaria Drugs to Treat COVID-19
When You Can Be around Others if You Had or Think It Likely You Had COVID 19
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) answers your questions: Q: I think or know I had COVID-19, and I had symptoms A: You can be with others after3 days with no fever and your symptoms improved, and 10 days since symptoms first appeared Depending on your healthcare provider’s advice and availability of… Continue reading When You Can Be around Others if You Had or Think It Likely You Had COVID 19
COVID-19: Regulatory Terminology
There’s a lot of confusion about which medical products might work to prevent or treat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Scientists are working hard to develop a number of potential drugs for the prevention or treatment of coronavirus, but none are currently approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for these purposes. Some “investigational”… Continue reading COVID-19: Regulatory Terminology
A New Therapy for COVID-19?
Animals produce antibodies much like those made by the human immune system. But some animals, such as llamas, also produce another type of antibody that’s only about a quarter of the size of a typical human antibody. Such “single-domain” antibodies, or nanobodies, have several features that make them possible therapies for respiratory infections such as… Continue reading A New Therapy for COVID-19?
How Accurate Are Home Blood Pressure Monitors?
Most blood pressure devices sold for home monitoring in Australia – and possibly worldwide – may not have been validated for accuracy and could lead to misdiagnoses and inappropriate treatment, according to new research published in Hypertension, an American Heart Association (AHA). In this study, the researchers looked at the online blood pressure device marketplace… Continue reading How Accurate Are Home Blood Pressure Monitors?
The COVID-19 Pandemic: A Glossary of Terms
The coronavirus crisis has introduced a lot of new words into our daily vocabulary — words such as pandemic and asymptomatic and acronyms like PPE and PUI. All can be found in the dictionary or on websites for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the American Red… Continue reading The COVID-19 Pandemic: A Glossary of Terms
COVID-19: Food Safety
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is working in many ways to help keep people safe while the nation is coping with the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). Food availability and food safety are vitally important to well-being. Here, from the FDA, are three things you should , and the FDA is working hard to help… Continue reading COVID-19: Food Safety
A Simpler Test for Alzheimer’s
Researchers are drawing closer to fully developing a blood test that could help detect pathological Alzheimer’s disease in people who are showing signs of dementia, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The test could be less invasive and less costly than current brain imaging and spinal fluid tests. The blood test detects the… Continue reading A Simpler Test for Alzheimer’s
COVID-19: Caring for a Patient at Home
Most people who get sick with COVID-19 will have only mild illness and should recover at home, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Care at home can help stop the spread of COVID-19 and help protect people who are at risk for getting seriously ill from the virus. However, adults and people… Continue reading COVID-19: Caring for a Patient at Home