Is Early Convalescent Plasma Treatment A Barrier to Long COVID?

Summary: Researchers found that early treatment with plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients reduces the risk of developing post-COVID conditions or “long COVID.” The study revealed that patients who received the…

CDC greenlights two updated COVID-19 vaccines, but how will they fare against the latest variants? 5 questions answered

On Sept. 12, 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the newly formulated COVID-19 vaccines for all Americans ages 6 months and up, hours after its expert advisory…

How evasive and transmissible is the newest omicron offshoot, BA.2.86, that causes COVID-19? 4 questions answered

The latest variant, or sublineage, of SARS-CoV-2 to emerge on the scene, BA.2.86, has public health experts on alert as COVID-19 hospitalizations begin to rise and the new variant makes…

More adults than ever have been seeking ADHD medications – an ADHD expert explains what could be driving the trend

As a woman in my 30s who was constantly typing “ADHD” into my computer, something interesting happened to me in 2021. I started receiving a wave of advertisements beckoning me…

Blame capitalism? Why hundreds of decades-old yet vital drugs are nearly impossible to find

Past public ire over high drug prices has recently taken a back seat to a more insidious problem – no drugs at any price. Patients and their providers increasingly face…

COVID-19 Super Dodgers: The Genetic Secret to Asymptomatic Infection

Summary: ertain individuals carry a unique gene variant that allows them to contract COVID-19 without displaying any symptoms. Dubbed as “super dodgers”, these individuals are more than twice as likely…

Curing America’s loneliness epidemic would make us healthier, fitter and less likely to abuse drugs

A national health advisory issued by U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy on May 3, 2023, sheds light on the urgent public health issues of loneliness and isolation. The report reflects…

Tuberculosis on the rise for first time in decades after COVID-19 interrupted public health interventions and increased inequality

Before SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, spread across the world in 2020, tuberculosis was responsible for more deaths globally than any other infectious disease. But thanks to targeted public…

COVID-19 Worries Influence Emotional Quality of Daydreams

Summary: A new study investigated the connection between COVID-19-related anxieties and the emotional content of daydreaming and nighttime dreaming. It found a significant correlation between daily COVID-19 worries and the…

More than 1.5 million Americans lost Medicaid coverage in the spring of 2023 due to the end of pandemic policies – and paperwork problems

CC BY-ND At least 1.5 million Americans lost Medicaid coverage in April, May and the first three weeks of June 2023, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit that…