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COVID Restrictions Eased in England

Numerous COVID restrictions will be dropped in England because government experts believe the Omicron variant "has now peaked nationally," British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Wednesday.

As of Jan. 27, COVID-19 passes will no longer be needed to enter large-scale events and the use of face masks in public schools will no longer be req...

VA Study Shows Black Men Twice as Likely to Develop Prostate Cancer as Whites

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 19, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Even in a setting where white and Black people have equal access to medical care, Black Americans fare worse than whites in terms of prostate cancer, new research shows.

A review of nearly 8 million men seen at America's Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals found that Black veteran...

Crowded Emergency Rooms Cost Lives: Study

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 19, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- A seemingly endless wait in an emergency department can be taxing for many reasons, but new research suggests that long delays in being admitted to the hospital may even raise a patient's risk of death within the following 30 days.

Why? One possible reason: A crowded ER might ...

Is a Night in the Hospital Necessary After Hip, Knee Replacement?

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 19, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- For many people undergoing total hip or knee replacement, same-day surgery is a safe option, new research shows.

Among folks in overall good health, the study of nearly 1.8 million patients found similar post-op complication rates among those who had outpatient joint replaceme...

Conservatorships Keep the Homeless in Psychiatric Wards Too Long: Study

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 19, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Homelessness is difficult enough, but when it's compounded by serious mental health issues the result can be an inability to function at even the most basic level.

Sometimes that leads to round-the-clock involuntary hospitalization, and when that happens a state-appointed psyc...

AHA News: Celebrity Photographer Learned to Shoot With One Hand Following Stroke

The way freelance photographer Donna Dymally sees it, snapping pictures imparts important life lessons.

"Focus on what's important, and if you don't like the shot, take another one," she said. "We develop from the negative, just like a photo."

That attitude helped Dymally recover from a stroke at age 58.

She woke up that mornin...

Heart Function Rebounds for Kids With COVID-Linked MIS-C

A rare and serious inflammatory condition called MIS-C can strike kids weeks after they've recovered from their COVID infection.

But now there's good news for parents: Children tend to recover completely from any heart injury within three months of falling ill, a new study from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) shows.

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Biden Plans to Send 400 Million N95 Masks to Americans for Free

The Biden administrations plans to announce Wednesday that it will send 400 million free nonsurgical N95 masks to community health centers and pharmacies across the country so more Americans can get the masks that are most protective against COVID-19.

The move follows updated mask guidance issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and...

WHO Says Worst of Pandemic Could Ease This Year if Vaccine Inequities Erased

If COVID-19 vaccines and medicines are shared equally worldwide, the pandemic could ease this year, a top World Health Organization official said Tuesday.

However, if wealthier countries don't share their resources with poorer countries, there will continue to be high rates of deaths and hospitalizations, warned Dr. Michael Ryan, head of e...

No Evidence Breastfeeding Can Transmit Coronavirus

Breastfeeding moms can rest easier: New research finds no evidence their milk transmits the virus that causes COVID-19 to their babies.

“Breast milk is an invaluable source of nutrition to infants," said lead author Dr. Paul Krogstad of the University of California, Los Angeles.

"In our study, we found no evidence that breast milk...

Opioid Addiction Treatment in Jail Could Change Lives

No magic bullet exists for ending the U.S. opioid crisis, but there's hopeful news for one high-risk population: Providing addiction medication in jails reduces the odds of addicts being re-arrested after their release, new research shows.

"Studies like this provide much-needed evidence and momentum for jails and prisons to better enable t...

Nearly Half of Americans Gained Weight in Pandemic's First Year

Did you watch your waistline expand during lockdown? You're not alone.

Nearly half of U.S. adults piled on excess pounds during the first year of the pandemic, making a national obesity crisis even worse, a new study shows.

"Obesity was an epidemic before the pandemic, and little was known on body weight changes in the past year for...

No Side Effects From Your COVID Vaccine? Don't Worry, It's Still Working

Even if you don't have side effects from your COVID-19 vaccine, it's likely still working to protect you, a reassuring new report shows.

Many people who receive the mRNA COVID vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna experience body aches and fatigue that indicate the vaccine is triggering their immune system to recognize and fight the coronavirus.<...

Colonoscopy Surprise Bills Should Be Thing of the Past, Experts Say

Big surprise bills for any colonoscopy done after a positive result from a stool-based screening test will be prevented under new federal rules, a group of U.S. medical organizations say.

On Jan. 10, the Biden administration issued guidance requiring private insurers to cover such colonoscopies.

The guidance expands on the requiremen...

White House Launches Website for Free Home COVID Tests One Day Ahead of Schedule

It was slated to debut on Wednesday, but the federal government quietly launched its website for Americans to order free at-home COVID tests one day early.

Go to COVIDTests.gov and you can quickly order four tests delivered to your home by the U.S. Postal Service. Only four tests will be given to a single residential address, and there's a...

Newer Hormone Treatments for Prostate Cancer May Raise Risk of Depression

TUESDAY, Jan. 18, 2022 (HealthDay Now) -- Advanced forms of hormone therapy are very effective at keeping prostate cancer in check, but they also can double a man's risk of falling into depression, researchers have found.

Prostate cancer patients treated with the latest forms of hormone blockers were twice as likely to develop depression c...

Too Soon to Tell if Omicron Will End Pandemic: Fauci

It's too soon to determine whether Omicron's rapid spread will turn a pandemic virus into an endemic disease, America's top infectious disease expert says.

That "would only be the case if we don't get another variant that eludes the immune response to the prior variant," Dr. Anthony Fauci said this week during the Davos Agenda, a virtual e...

Vaping Might Worsen COVID-19 Symptoms

TUESDAY, Jan. 18, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- If you vape and catch COVID-19, you may feel a whole lot worse than people who come down with the virus but don't use electronic cigarettes, researchers say.

When compared to folks with COVID-19 who didn't use e-cigarettes, those who did were more likely to report chest pain, ch...

Do You Feel Old? It Could Be Aging You

TUESDAY, Jan. 18, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- People who believe their bodies and minds will break down with age may be creating a self-fulfilling prophecy, a recent study suggests.

Researchers found that older adults with a dim outlook on aging tended to report more physical health symptoms on days when they were stressed ...

Which Kids Are Most Vulnerable to Severe COVID-19?

TUESDAY, Jan. 18, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- As a record number of American kids are being hospitalized with COVID-19, a new study helps clarify which ones are at the highest risk for serious complications.

The study tracked over 3,200 children and teenagers who landed in an emergency room with COVID-19 symptoms and tested...