Health
The COVID-19 'war has changed' due to delta variant, CDC says
News/Health: The war against COVID-19 has changed because of the highly contagious delta variant, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control said, proposing a clearer message, mandatory vaccines for health workers and a return to universal masking.
Removal of Alberta's remaining COVID-19 protocols sparks outrage among physicians
News/Canada/Calgary: Many Alberta doctors are reacting with surprise and disappointment to the province's plan to relax its COVID-19 surveillance and management system despite an increase in case numbers, the positivity rate and R-value, and vaccination rates that are lagging behind other provinces.
Data on pediatric COVID-19 deaths in US remains unclear
Health officials in some areas of the country have sounded the alarm over increasing rates of hospitalizations among pediatric COVID-19 patients, but whether the risk for this population has changed due to emerging variants like delta remains unclear.
CDC 'worrisome' COVID-19 data cited in mask update included breakthrough cases in Massachusetts outbreak
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released "some" of the evidence behind a reversal in guidance issued Tuesday advising fully vaccinated populations to wear masks in public indoor areas in places with high and substantial viral spread.
States race to use COVID-19 vaccines before they expire
Hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 vaccine doses have been saved from the trash after U.S. regulators extended their expiration date for a second time, part of a nationwide effort to salvage expiring shots to battle the nation's summer surge in infections.
It's not just the smoke — as climate change prompts more wildfires, hidden health risks emerge
News/Science: Climate change is expected to lead to a rise in the number of wildfires, which pose health dangers due to smoke inhalation. But there are also other risks to consider, such as the impact on mental health and clean water supplies.
Delta seems more dangerous than other COVID-19 variants, contagious as chicken pox, reports say
An internal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention document obtained by several news outlets warns that the COVID-19 Delta variant could be more likely to produce severe illness and can spread as fast as chickenpox.
Alberta parents question safety of sending children to school with no COVID-19 pandemic restrictions
News/Canada/Edmonton: Alberta parents are questioning the safety of sending unvaccinated children back to school without pandemic restrictions in place. On Aug. 16, mask mandates on transit, will be lifted and isolation will no longer be required for the majority of positive COVID-19 cases.
Canada was an outlier on mixing COVID-19 vaccines, but more countries now following suit
News/Health: Canada became an outlier in the fight against COVID-19 by allowing residents to mix various coronavirus vaccines. But while the approach has been controversial, it’s now increasingly being explored by other countries.
Louisiana hospitals prepare for surge of COVID-19 patients
Louisiana has one of the lowest vaccination rates and it's seeing the worst outbreak of COVID-19 cases. Several hospitals in the state have paused non-emergency surgeries to make room for COVID patients. They expect to be full within the week.
Why Ontario medical experts are sounding the alarm over Alberta's move to scrap mandatory COVID-19 isolation
News/Canada/Toronto: Ontario medical experts are sounding the alarm over Alberta's recent decision to significantly ease its COVID-19 restrictions, warning the move could cause ripple effects across the country — and the globe.
Arkansas mother accused of faking adopted son's terminal illness: What is Munchausen by proxy?
An Arkansas woman and her husband have been accused of a rare psychiatric disorder behind the life-threatening abuse and neglect they inflicted on their son, a judge ruled, according to a report.
Lonely older adults more likely to use prescription drugs, study finds
A new study suggests that older adults who are lonely are twice as likely to use opioids for pain and 2 1/2 times more likely to use sedatives and anti-anxiety medications, potentially putting them at risk for drug dependency or other adverse health outcomes.
Israel to offer COVID-19 booster vaccine shot to citizens over 60
News/Health: Israel's prime minister on Thursday announced that the country would offer a coronavirus booster to people over 60 who have already been vaccinated. The announcement by Naftali Bennett makes Israel the first country to offer a third dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to its citizens on a wide scale.
