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ScienceHealth
CDC Expands List of Medical Conditions That Make People More Vulnerable to Covid-19
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expanding the list of people it considers to be at higher risk of severe covid-19. Its new guidelines, published Thursday, say that people living with many chronic conditions including diabetes, kidney disease, and sickle cell are more likely to develop a serious case of the viral illness, … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealth
Second-Largest Ebola Outbreak in History Is Finally Over
Local health officials and the World Health Organization today finally declared the end of an outbreak of Ebola that had plagued the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa for nearly two years. It was the second-largest outbreak of the deadly viral disease in recorded history, infecting over 3,400 people and killing 2,280. The good … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealth
Does Your Blood Type Affect Your Risk of Covid-19?
An intriguing study published last week found a link between covid-19 severity and having type A blood; type O blood, on the other hand, was linked to a lower chance of severe illness. But it’s unlikely that any potential connection between covid-19 and blood type will be very relevant to the average person. The study, … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealth
This Man Sees Numbers as Squiggles
A man’s baffling inability to see certain numerical digits might provide insight into how our brains work. According to the scientists who have studied him, the nature of his condition—which makes him see spaghetti-like shapes in place of the numbers 2 through 9—suggests that our brains can recognize complex concepts such as numbers before we’re … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealth
Get Ready for Another Summer of Out-of-Control Ticks
The U.S. tick problem is not getting any better. And, unfortunately, we’re doing a dreadful job at tracking their movements, let alone keeping them in check, according to a new study out Wednesday. The eight-legged tick is America’s most dangerous pest bug, based on the amount of human illness it causes every year. An estimated … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealth
Another Blow for Hydroxychloroquine as WHO Cuts It From Coronavirus Trial
The World Health Organization has, for the second time in less than in a month, decided to suspend its clinical trial of hydroxychloroquine for covid-19 patients. The decision was made following a review of the latest evidence as well as its own preliminary data, which concluded the drug would likely not help save people from … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealth
Toilets Can Blow Coronavirus Poop All Over the Place—You’ve Been Warned
Here’s some bathroom advice for the covid-19 pandemic era, courtesy of a new study published Tuesday. The study’s authors found evidence that the simple act of flushing can shoot poop particles up to 3 feet into the air—particles that can theoretically transmit the coronavirus, if they came from someone already infected. They’re now recommending, among … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealth
Common Steroid Drug Shows Lifesaving Results In Large Coronavirus Trial
A widely used and cheap steroid treatment appears to be the first to show a definitive lifesaving benefit for people with severe covid-19. In a large clinical trial funded by the UK government and others, the drug dexamethasone was found to reduce the odds of death in patients who needed a ventilator to breathe by … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealth
Scientists Warn That Covid-19 Could Cause Diabetes
There may be a double whammy when it comes to the covid-19 pandemic and diabetes. Scientists are warning that people with preexisting diabetes have a higher risk of developing serious complications from the viral illness, while the infection may also raise people’s risk of developing a new case of diabetes. But it’s not completely certain … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealth
FDA Pulls Emergency Authorization for Hydroxychloroquine as Coronavirus Treatment
The end of the road for a potential covid-19 treatment once heralded as a “game changer” by President Trump seems to have arrived. On Monday, the Food and Drug Administration revoked its emergency use authorization of the related drugs hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine for covid-19, after a review of the evidence led the agency to conclude … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealth
Rare, Nearly Extinct Parasite May Have Resurfaced in Vietnam, Doctors Say
Doctors in Vietnam this week say that they’ve made a mysterious and—if accurate—alarming discovery: A local resident who was infested with the nearly extinct Guinea worm. But Guinea worm experts are still trying to confirm whether this case is the genuine article, and if so, how the worm managed to reach a country thousands of … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealth
Prepare for the Never-Ending Coronavirus Plateau
Earlier this week, the U.S. reached another sad milestone in the covid-19 pandemic, with the country now reporting over 2 million confirmed cases of the viral disease, along with at least 115,000 deaths. As the summer gets into full swing and much of the country lifts its restrictions on distancing, though, it’s important to keep … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealth
Scientists Want to Test Existing Polio Vaccine Against Coronavirus
A group of scientists has a striking proposal for keeping people safe from covid-19. In a new paper published Thursday, they argue that we can use existing vaccines like the oral polio vaccine to provide some degree of temporary immunity against the coronavirus. The authors include a scientist at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealth
Here Are the States Where Coronavirus Cases and Hospitalizations Are Spiking
On Sunday, there were 453 covid-19 deaths reported in the U.S., according to the Covid Tracking Project—the lowest daily toll recorded since late March. Yet unfortunately, there are signs in several parts of the country that the pandemic is getting worse, including in states that have reopened businesses and public spaces. Texas, for instance, reported … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealth
WHO Walks Back Claim That Asymptomatic Coronavirus Transmission Is ‘Very Rare’
The World Health Organization held a press conference on Tuesday to clarify a surprising announcement it made a day earlier, in which an epidemiologist said that asymptomatic transmission of the coronavirus was “very rare.” Yesterday, Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical lead on covid-19, said at a news briefing that, “From the data we have, … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealth
What to Think About Before You Make That Doctor’s Appointment
With states across the U.S. beginning to relax distancing restrictions related to covid-19, plenty of people are probably questioning whether they should get back to normal activities, including scheduling non-urgent medical appointments like physicals and teeth cleanings. So let’s talk about it. In truth, any outing that puts you in close contact with other people … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealth
Latest Coronavirus Science: New York’s Hopeful Road to Recovery
Here are some of the latest scientific developments around covid-19, including insights about the first major outbreak in Wuhan, China, a raft of hydroxychloroquine treatment trials, and steady progress in some but not all areas of the U.S. Wuhan’s outbreak A crucial part of fending off covid-19 is pinning down how many people in a … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealth
Should You Get a Coronavirus Test If You Protested?
The nationwide protests against police brutality in the wake of George Floyd’s death are unfortunately not happening in a vacuum—we’re still very much in the midst of a once-in-a-century viral pandemic spread by close contact. This week, officials in Texas and New York said that demonstrators should get tested for the coronavirus. But there are … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealth
Scientists Raise Concerns Over Data Used in Two Major Covid-19 Studies
Update Thursday 4 p.m. ET: Lead author Mandeep Mehra and two co-authors formally retracted the study they had published in the Lancet, which originally found no evidence for hydroxychloroquine’s effectiveness in preventing covid-19 deaths. Notably, this decision did not involve co-author Sapan Desai, the cofounder of the company Surgisphere that provided the hospital data now … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealth
Tear Gas Is Dangerous and Should Be Illegal
Tear gas is a chemical weapon that is banned for use in warfare, yet U.S. police have repeatedly deployed it against people protesting police brutality and anti-black violence this week. Though it’s considered a non-lethal weapon, tear gas is actually far more dangerous than advertised—especially in the midst of a global pandemic. There are different … Continued
By Ed Cara