Choose your location
COVID Health
New Clinical Trials at Leading HIV Center Paused Over Funding Probe
New clinical trials at a prominent HIV research center in Chicago have been halted for the past nine months, but funding for ongoing studies is in jeopardy and researchers may be laid off as soon as this week as Cook County Health officials continue to investigate a nonprofit that manages the finances of grant-funded research, reports the Chicago Sun Times. The pause also affects new trials for COVID-19, mpox and cancer at the Ruth M. Rothstein CORE Center.
Paxlovid Reduces Serious Risks from COVID Omicron Variants
Antiviral treatments can help reduce the risk of serious illness and death from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. This is particularly true for those who aren’t fully vaccinated. In 2021, a clinical trial found that a combination of the antiviral drugs nirmatrelvir and ritonavir reduced the risk of severe COVID-19 by almost 90% for unvaccinated people. The combination is sold under the name Paxlovid.
More Evidence COVID Vaccines Work Well for People With HIV
People living with HIV generally respond well to COVID-19 vaccines—especially if they receive booster shots—thereby dramatically reducing their risk of severe illness and death, according to several recent studies. But those with poorly controlled HIV or advanced immune suppression may not fare as well, underlining the importance of antiretroviral treatment.
COVID-19 Vaccine for Children after MIS-C Appears Safe
A study of children and adolescents who received a COVID-19 vaccination following multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) found that there were no reports of serious complications including myocarditis or MIS-C reoccurrence. About half of participants experienced mild and typical reactions, including arm soreness and fatigue. The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, demonstrates that it is safe to get a vaccine after having MIS-C. The findings will publish [January 3] in JAMA Network Open.
Detainees Dread COVID While Awaiting Immigration Hearings
In October, Yibran Ramirez-Cecena didn’t alert the staff at Stewart Detention Center to his cough and runny nose. Ramirez-Cecena, who had been detained at the immigration detention facility in southwestern Georgia since May, hid his symptoms, afraid he would be put in solitary confinement if he tested positive for COVID-19.
Most Reported Substance Use Among Adolescents Held Steady in 2022
The percentage of adolescents reporting substance use in 2022 largely held steady after significantly declining in 2021, according to the latest results from the Monitoring the Future survey of substance use behaviors and related attitudes among eighth, 10th, and 12th graders in the United States. Reported use for almost all...
New Receptor “Decoy” Drug Neutralizes COVID-19 Virus and Its Variants
Scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have developed a drug that potently neutralizes SARS-CoV-2, the COVID-19 coronavirus, and is equally effective against the Omicron variant and every other tested variant. The drug is designed in such a way that natural selection to maintain the infectiousness of the virus should also maintain the drug’s activity against future variants.
Moderna mRNA Vaccine Helps Prevent Cancer Recurrence
A customized mRNA cancer vaccine combined with the checkpoint inhibitor Keytruda (pembrolizumab) reduced the risk of disease recurrence or death in people with high-risk advanced melanoma, according to a joint announcement from Moderna and Merck. In a randomized clinical trial, the vaccine combination significantly reduced the likelihood of cancer recurrence after surgical removal compared with Keytruda alone.
NIAID Pandemic Autopsy Study Fosters Long COVID Treatment Trial
Autopsies of 44 people who died from COVID-19 in the first year of the pandemic showed researchers that disease-causing SARS-CoV-2 virus spread throughout the body – beyond just a respiratory disease – and remained in tissue for months. The study, from the National Institutes of Health and published...
Hospital Financial Decisions Play a Role in the Critical Shortage of Pediatric Beds for RSV Patients
The dire shortage of pediatric hospital beds plaguing the nation this fall is a byproduct of financial decisions made by hospitals over the past decade, as they shuttered children’s wards, which often operate in the red, and expanded the number of beds available for more profitable endeavors like joint replacements and cancer care.
Two NIAID Studies Highlight COVID-19 Nasal Vaccine Potential
Roughly two years ago, when people began receiving shots in the arm of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, scientists said that their work would continue, striving to improve COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness and delivery. Two recent NIAID studies reinforce that mission. As the SARS-CoV-2 virus has evolved, so has scientists’ knowledge of how...
Using mRNA Technology for a Universal Flu Vaccine
Influenza, the virus that causes the flu, can be deadly. Twenty different types of the virus have been identified. Many of these circulate between animals and people. This, along with the seasonal virus’s frequent mutations, makes developing effective flu vaccines with broad protection difficult. Seasonal flu vaccines are reformulated...
Paxlovid Has Been Free So Far. Next Year, Sticker Shock Awaits.
Nearly 6 million Americans have taken Paxlovid [nirmatrelvir/ritonavir] for free, courtesy of the federal government. The Pfizer pill has helped prevent many people infected with COVID-19 from being hospitalized or dying, and it may even reduce the risk of developing long COVID. But the government plans to stop footing the bill within months, and millions of people who are at the highest risk of severe illness and are least able to afford the drug — the uninsured and seniors — may have to pay the full price.
Cleveland Clinic to Charge for Some Patient-Provider Messaging
The Cleveland Clinic announced that its previously free patient-provider messaging system, which is offered via the widely used MyChart patient portal will now cost up to $50 for certain messages. The policy change has left many wondering whether the practice will become commonplace and fearing what other charges might surface in the future.
Dr. Fauci Reflects on the Perpetual Challenge of Infectious Diseases
Once considered a potentially static field of medicine, the discipline of studying infectious diseases has proven to be dynamic as emerging and reemerging infectious diseases present continuous challenges, Anthony S. Fauci, MD, writes in a perspective in the New England Journal of Medicine. In the piece, Dr. Fauci, who since...
Treating Long COVID Is Rife With Guesswork
Medical equipment is still strewn around the house of Rick Lucas, 62, nearly two years after he came home from the hospital. He picks up a spirometer, a device that measures lung capacity, and takes a deep breath — though not as deep as he’d like. “I’m almost...
It’s Time to Enroll in Obamacare for 2023. Here’s How.
Open enrollment for health insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act (the ACA, or Obamacare) started November 1. The below posts were originally from HealthCare.gov and cross-posted to HIV.gov. You have until January 15, 2023, to apply for new health coverage or change your health plan for 2023. If you...
NIH Establishes Website for Self-Reporting COVID-19 Test Results
Reporting a positive or negative test result just became easier through a new website from the National Institutes of Health. MakeMyTestCount.org, developed through NIH’s Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) Tech program, allows users to anonymously report the results of any brand of at-home COVID-19 test. COVID-19 testing remains an...
Public Health Wins at the Polls in California and South Dakota
On Tuesday, November 7, California voters passed Proposition 31 to end the sale of menthol cigarettes and other flavored tobacco products and South Dakotans passed Amendment D to increase access to Medicaid to more than 42,000 people. In South Dakota, voters approved Amendment D, which amends the state constitution to expand Medicaid eligibility to adults with lower incomes. In California voters upheld the 2020 law that will reduce tobacco use and health disparities caused by the tobacco industry’s targeting of Black communities.
How much sleep do I need each night?
Adequate sleep is one of the keys to good health. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that adults should get at least seven hours of sleep a night. Children need even more: up to 16 hours for babies, 10 to 13 hours for children ages 3 to 5 years, nine to 12 hours for those ages 6 to 12 and eight to 10 hours for teenagers. People who are ill or undergoing medical treatment may need more than the recommended amount.
COVID Health
932+
Posts
1M+
Views
COVID Health is here to help people navigate the unknowns of a COVID-19 diagnosis and what lies beyond. The site is also designed to help people learn how to prevent transmission of the new coronavirus, which is called SARS-CoV-2.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.