The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday announced changes to its guidelines on who should wear a mask during the Covid-19 pandemic and where they should wear it. The new guidance recommends that the general public wear cloth masks made from at least three layers of fabric “on public transport, in shops, or in other … Continue reading "The WHO has new guidelines on face masks to fight Covid-19"

As someone with asthma, Meredith Blake was very worried about getting sick in the pandemic. With Covid-19 spreading across America, she stayed inside her home in Boston for 12 weeks, isolating from others as much as possible. Her self-quarantine ended on June 1. After George Floyd’s killing at the hands of police in Minneapolis, she … Continue reading "What public health experts want critics to know about why they support the protests"

When states had strict stay-at-home orders and lockdowns in place, many decisions about the risk of getting the coronavirus were simple. People didn’t have to think about whether dining in a restaurant is safe if the restaurant was closed. Now, that states are opening up — with varying degrees of precautions and adherence in place … Continue reading "6 feet away isn’t enough. Covid-19 risk involves other dimensions, too."

Several states are now seeing a surge in new Covid-19 coronavirus infections and hospitalizations. And the states with more alarming outbreaks — Arizona, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Arkansas, Florida, and Tennessee — generally saw few cases early in the pandemic. Many of these states have started to relax the restrictions on movement, businesses, … Continue reading "Why a second round of Covid-19 lockdowns might not be as effective"

Texas broke records for Covid-19 hospitalizations six times last week, including a record 2,504 hospitalizations in a single day on June 10. South Carolina, North Carolina, Alaska, Florida, Mississippi, and Arkansas have also all broken records of new cases reported in a single day. Alabama saw a 92 percent increase in its seven-day average of … Continue reading "Remember the N95 mask shortage? It’s still a problem."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday reversed changes to its Covid-19 testing guidelines, once again recommending that people without symptoms get tested for the coronavirus if they have come into close contact with someone known to be infected. Click Here: The CDC’s new guidelines now state, “If you have been in … Continue reading "CDC reverses guidelines, telling people to get tested for Covid-19 even without symptoms"

Back in March, Michigan’s Covid-19 cases exploded — leaping from zero to 3,657 in just two weeks. Detroit’s three big automakers closed factories temporarily, and the state’s largest health care system warned it was reaching capacity. In the midst of this crisis, Joseph Roche, an associate professor in the physical therapy program at Wayne State … Continue reading "This theory might explain “Covid toes” and other mysteries of the disease"

America is now in the middle of a big experiment: reopening schools and colleges during the Covid-19 pandemic. And so far, how things are going depends on which type of school is involved. At the K-12 level, while there have been some outbreaks, reopenings haven’t led to the explosion of cases that some feared. Still, … Continue reading "What we’ve learned so far from school reopenings in the US"

As record daily Covid-19 hospitalizations and deaths this month in the US have pushed the pandemic to new crisis levels, senior government health officials have lamented that many patients are not getting the drugs — including monoclonal antibodies, antivirals, and corticosteroids — available to treat the disease, leaving many doses unused. There are still questions … Continue reading "We aren’t using all of our tools to treat Covid-19"

TIPPERARY STAR HURLER Pádraic Maher says that his decision to retire from the sport was made to ensure a greater quality of life going forward. Paudie Maher on the ball for Tipperary. Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO The three-time All-Ireland winner made the shock announcement during the week, saying that he had received medical advice to step … Continue reading "‘Do you want your girlfriend lifting you off the couch?’ – The warning that forced Maher to retire"