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Nursing Home Staff Closest to Patients Are Least Likely to Get COVID Vaccines

Aides in long-term care facilities are less likely than other staff to be vaccinated, even though they have the most contact with vulnerable patients and could infect them with COVID-19, a new federal study shows.

Researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed data from 300 long-term care facilities nationwid...

Could COVID-19 Accelerate Alzheimer's Symptoms?

COVID-19 can kill you. It can rob you of your breath, cause strange blood clots, and prompt side effects that last for months after you're over the initial infection.

It's also possible that COVID-19 might impact the human brain in ways that could promote the onset of Alzheimer's disease, a new study reports.

Severely ill COVID-19 pa...

Biden Reverses Trump Policy Limiting U.S. Nursing Home Fines

The Biden administration has reversed a Trump policy that limited the size of fines that U.S. nursing homes could be slapped with for violating safety standards.

The Trump policy was adopted in 2017 and prevented the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) from hitting a nursing home with a fine for each day it didn't comply ...

Premature Delivery Raises Odds for Cerebral Palsy

Extremely premature babies have a much higher risk of cerebral palsy and other neurological conditions than full-term infants, a large Israeli study affirms.

Cerebral palsy -- the name for a group of lifelong conditions that affect movement and coordination -- is the most common cause of severe childhood physical disability and motor impai...

When Deductibles Rise, More Diabetes Patients Skip Their Meds

As many Americans know, today's health insurance plans often come with high deductibles. Those out-of-pocket costs could cause harm: New research shows that 20% of people who have diabetes and high-deductible health plans regularly skip their medications.

Not keeping up with your diabetes medications comes with the potential risk of an eme...

Severe Opioid Overdoses Rose by Nearly a Third During Pandemic

Opioid overdose-related visits to U.S. emergency departments rose by nearly one-third during the COVID-19 pandemic last year.

That's the key finding in a new analysis of data from 25 emergency departments in Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, North Carolina, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

"COVID-19, and the disruptions in every part of...

Seniors Rarely Discuss Their Drinking With Their Doctors

Plenty of seniors may struggle with problem drinking, but a new study shows that less than half of them discuss their alcohol use with their health care providers.

"Older adults are at high risk for the harms of alcohol use, especially for those with existing chronic disease and who take prescribed medications," said lead study author Pia ...

Most Athletes With Genetic Heart Ailment Can Return to Play

Having a genetic heart condition often means the end of sports for young athletes, but new research could be a game changer.

A 20-year study by the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., suggests that for kids with most genetic heart conditions, the risks of playing sports can be managed through a shared decision-making process.

The stud...

Type 2 Diabetes in Teens Can Bring Dangerous Complications in 20s

THURSDAY, July 29, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Children diagnosed with type 2 diabetes face a high likelihood of developing complications before age 30, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that among 500 children and teenagers with type 2 diabetes, 60% developed at least one complication over the next 15 years — inclu...

CDC Now Says Vaccinated Should Be Tested After COVID Exposure, Even Without Symptoms

People fully vaccinated against COVID-19 should be tested for the virus if they come into contact with infected people, whether or not they have symptoms, say updated testing guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The agency previously said that fully vaccinated people did not need to be tested after exposure ...

Mississippi Health System Buckles Under 'Astounding' Rise in COVID Cases

An "astounding" rise in COVID-19 cases in Mississippi is putting intense strain on the state's health care system.

Compared to the first half of July, the number of infections more than doubled in the past two weeks and deaths rose by 51%. In Mississippi, deaths lost to COVID-19 now average between three and four a day, health officials sa...

AHA News: Deaths Related to Irregular Heart Rhythm May Be Rising, Especially Among Younger People

Deaths related to atrial fibrillation appear to be on the rise, especially among younger adults, a new study suggests.

Atrial fibrillation – often called AFib – is an irregular heartbeat that sometimes leads to blood clots, stroke, heart failure and other cardiovascular complications. The condition is increasingly common, with an estim...

AHA News: She Had a Baby. Then Emergency Heart Surgery. And a Stroke. Then, a New Heart.

In her third trimester, Kristy Novillo struggled to give tours of the Redmond, Washington, child care center where she worked as a director. Walking and talking at the same time left her out of breath.

Two months after delivering her son, Dominic, Kristy was still gasping for air. Her primary care doctor suspected allergy-induced asthma an...

Biden to Announce 'Vaccine or Testing' Mandate for Federal Employees

President Joe Biden plans to announce on Thursday that all civilian federal employees will have to be vaccinated or submit to regular testing, masking and travel restrictions.

White House officials said the administration is still finalizing the details of the new policy, which Biden will outline in a speech from the White House. In a stat...