By Staff
Thursday, March 14, 2024 3:10 PM
Are Americans still concerned about the health implications of COVID-19? A new
Pew Research Center survey finds that just 20 percent of Americans view the coronavirus as a major threat to the health of the U.S. population today, and only 10 percent are very concerned they will get it and require hospitalization. This data represents a low ebb of public concern about the virus that reached its height in the summer and fall of 2020, when as many as two-thirds of Americans viewed COVID-19 as a major threat to public health.
The survey revealed that just 28 percent of U.S. adults say they have received the updated COVID-19 vaccine, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended last fall to protect against serious illness. This stands in stark contrast to the spring and summer of 2021, when long lines and limited availability characterized the initial rollout of the first COVID-19 vaccines. A majority of U.S. adults (69 percent) had been fully vaccinated by August of 2021.
Underscoring the limited demand for the updated COVID-19 vaccines, a larger share of U.S. adults say they’ve gotten a flu shot in the last six months rather than the updated coronavirus vaccine (44 percent versus 28 percent). And despite a public health push encouraging adults to get both vaccines at the same time, almost half of those who received a flu shot from a health care provider chose not to get the updated COVID-19 vaccine.
The vast majority of Americans have some level of protection from the coronavirus because of vaccination, prior infection or a combination of the two. This has led to a decline in severe illness from the disease.
Still, the virus continues to circulate widely in the U.S., with wastewater data suggesting that cases in the early part of 2024 were among the highest they have been since the first omicron wave in 2022.
By Staff
Monday, March 11, 2024 8:02 AM
Scientists at the University of California San Francisco have discovered that remnants of the COVID-19 virus can linger in blood and tissue for more than a year after a person is first infected.
By Staff
Monday, March 11, 2024 8:02 AM
As the world grappled with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth emerged as a critical tool for delivering medical care while minimizing the risk for virus transmission. Telehealth visits increased from 5 million to 53 million for Medicare recipients in 2020. While usage levels peaked during the pandemic, they remain higher than pre-pandemic levels.
By Staff
Friday, March 8, 2024 12:30 AM
NEW YORK—The national average for gross revenue at ECP locations increased last week, Feb. 26–March 3, when compared with the previous week at a rate of 1 index point. That places gross revenue at a level 7 index points above where it was at this point in time (Week 9) when compared with last year (2023), 5 points above the same period in 2022, 9 points above 2021, 15 points above 2020, and 22 points above 2019, according to Jobson’s most recent Practice Performance Tracker.
By Staff
Thursday, March 7, 2024 12:23 PM
An FDA advisory committee has
recommended some changes to the flu vaccine after a specific flu strain was likely killed off thanks to COVID precautions. Head over to
WebMD for more.
By Staff
Thursday, March 7, 2024 8:02 AM
The risk of developing a new autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic disease (AIRD) is greater following a COVID-19 infection than after an influenza infection or in the general population, according to a study published March 5 in
Annals of Internal Medicine. More severe COVID-19 infections were linked to a greater risk of incident rheumatic disease, but vaccination appeared protective against development of a new AIRD.
By Staff
Wednesday, March 6, 2024 8:05 AM
Older adults in Canada with a stroke history were at high risk for depression during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers suggested.
By Staff
Wednesday, March 6, 2024 8:02 AM
Severe COVID-19, but not mild, is associated with a significantly higher risk for psychiatric and neurologic disorders a year after infection, a new study shows.
By Staff
Tuesday, March 5, 2024 7:59 AM
The CDC has updated its guidance for how long people should isolate when they are sickened by COVID-19. The new stay-at-home instructions now match those for people sickened with other viruses like the flu or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
By Staff
Monday, March 4, 2024 7:59 AM
People ages 65 and older should get a COVID-19 booster vaccination 4 months after their last one, the CDC advised Wednesday.
By Staff
Monday, March 4, 2024 6:09 AM
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) appeared to have a low risk of developing long COVID, but lingering complaints after SARS-CoV-2 infection were difficult to untangle from MS symptoms, registry analyses showed.
By Staff
Friday, March 1, 2024 6:09 AM
Measurable cognitive deficits persisted after SARS-CoV-2 infection, a large observational study in England showed.
By Staff
Thursday, February 29, 2024 12:06 PM
The CDC announced this week that Americans 65 and up should get another
COVID vaccine in the spring. Head over to
The New York Times for more on this guidance.
By Staff
Thursday, February 29, 2024 8:05 AM
Letícia Soares was infected with COVID-19 in April 2020, in the final year of postdoctoral studies in disease ecology at a Canadian University. What started with piercing migraines and severe fatigue in 2020 soon spiraled into a myriad of long COVID symptoms: Gastrointestinal issues, sleep problems, joint and muscle pain, along with unexpected menstrual changes.
By Staff
Wednesday, February 28, 2024 8:05 AM
The MightySat Medical, an over-the-counter medical fingertip pulse oximeter, has received clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use without a prescription, according to a press release from manufacturer Masimo.