Contagious Disease

Many patients recovering from COVID-19 have expressed concerns about lingering neurological symptoms, such as brain fog, dizziness, and headaches. It is crucial to check in with a physician or primary care clinician to confirm that there are no underlying issues that may further affect your health.…

It is difficult to determine the long lasting effects of COVID-19 since it is still a new disease the world is trying to fight against. Yet, new studies have shown evidence of long-term neurological effects, such as dementia, Alzheimer's (a form of dementia), and other milder mental health…

Governor Gavin Newsom lifted California’s stay-at-home order last week on Friday which included lifting the ban on outdoor dining. The order was enacted at the beginning of December and was followed by a drop in the Covid-19 transmission rate. Officials estimate that it kept as many as 25,000…

Vaccines are in short supply and hospitals across the country are having to cancel vaccination appointments. The problem is particularly bad in Texas where cases are increasing by about 20,000 each day. There is much confusion on vaccine distribution because as of Friday, 39.9 million doses were…

The KF94 mask has been called out by some media outlets as being a “highly protective” mask option considering the new Covid-19 variants appearing across the globe. KF94 is a South Korean mask that is comparable to the N95. KF stands for “Korean filtration” and 94 represents the efficiency of the…

The deaths in the United States from Covid-19 caused the overall life expectancy to drop by 1.13 years. The life expectancy is now 77.48 years which is the lowest it’s been since 2003. It is also the largest single-year reduction in the past 40 years. This decline is more severe for racial and…

On Saturday Los Angeles County discovered the first case of the new B117 Covid-19 variant. This new strain was first identified in the United Kingdom. The spike protein on the variant has three mutations that have the potential to make vaccines less effective, however, that is not confirmed. The…

Minks found in Denmark have contracted the coronavirus and transferred a mutated variant back to humans. The Danish government has decided to kill millions of minks as a precaution. The mink is currently the only known animal case to cause this mutation and retransmission. The mutation did not…

Scientists are becoming more aware of the deadly effects of the coronavirus on the vascular system. For serious COVID-19 infections, the virus can alter the endothelial cells which are inside blood vessels. People who died from COVID-19 have more blood clots and damage to the endothelial cells than…

Taiwan has gone 200 consecutive days without local transmission of COVID-19. Despite other countries seeing record-high surges in new cases, Taiwans quick and early response proved to be effective in curbing the spread of the virus. By having ongoing mask mandates, early interventions, and intense…

Setbacks caused by COVID-19 have slowed progress in prevention and treatment of tuberculosis in several countries. For example, tuberculosis case notifications have dropped 25-30% in India, Indonesia, and the Philippines. The UN Secretary General has issued 10 priority actions to close the gap in…

Many potential Covid-19 vaccines utilize oil from sharks called squalene. It is taken from shark livers and typically used as a moisturizing ingredient in cosmetics and as an immune system booster in flu and malaria vaccines. Conservationists warn that if the coronavirus vaccine with squalene is…

After quickly revoking publishing advice on airborne COVID transmission on September 21st, the CDC has put forth a revision on Monday to acknowledge that airborne transmission is possible. Aerosols (less than 5 microns) are smaller than respiratory droplets, and can “linger in the air for minutes…

Viral pandemics are closely connect human health to that of wildlife and the environment. With the increasing frequency at which these interactions are being made, researchers are hoping to reduce the pandemic potential by studying the viruses present in animals. Given the overall molecular…