Disease

A new COVID-19 variant called XE has been found in the United Kingdom and has infected 637 people as of March 22 according to the U.K Health Security Agency. The variant is a combination BA.1 omicron variant and the subvariant BA.2 omicron. This combination makes XE a recombinant variant. Dr. John…

The U.S Centers for Disease Prevention and Control said on Tuesday that the COVID-19 BA.2 version of Omicron is now the most common variant. It has been estimated to account for 54.9% of COVID-19 variants in the U.S. Despite the new subvariant’s dominance experts believe it is unlikely that it will…

  A recent study published in the journal Nature Medicine has found one of COVID-19’s long-term effects to be increased risk of cardiovascular disease for at least a year after recovery. People who were never infected with COVID-19 were 60% less likely to have future cardiovascular issues compared…

More countries are introducing or exploring the possibility of fourth doses of coronavirus vaccination for their most vulnerable. Israel was the first nation to offer fourth doses, stating in December that people 60 and older, medical staff, and people with impaired immune systems were eligible if…

A small research study's findings point to dysfunction of the vagus nerve as a potential cause for long COVID-19. Researchers believe the virus alters the vagus nerve such as by thickening it. The vagus nerve is responsible for controlling heart rate, speech, movement of food, and other vital…

The World Health Organization has said that the COVID-19 sub-variant Omicron BA.2, first found in January, is now expected to spread globally. According to research in Denmark, Omicron BA.2 is 1.5 times more contagious than the original Omicron BA.1. However, vaccines are still highly effective in…

Talk of COVID-19 becoming an endemic illness has escalated in recent weeks with the rise of the Omicron variant. However, some experts have warned against this characterization. Raina MacIntyre, a professor of global biosecurity at the University of New South Wales in Sydney has said case numbers…

On Tuesday, a $590 million provisional settlement was reached with Johnson & Johnson and the country’s three largest medication wholesalers. Hundreds of Native American tribes have experienced abnormally high rates of addiction and mortality amid the opioid crisis. The tribes will be paid a…

In addition to the free COVID tests available to order across the United States, free N-95 masks are now available. The initiative is part of President Biden's plan to distribute 400 million free N95 masks from the Strategic National Stockpile through pharmacies and community health centers.…

Despite increases in COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths, it appears the Omicron surge is beginning to slow down in California. Cases throughout the state are down compared to the averages from last week. Los Angeles county has gone from averaging 42,000 cases a day last week to 38,000 cases a day…

At the recent World Economic Forum’s Davos Agenda, Dr. Fauci made some comments on the future of COVID-19. He said no one knows how exactly things will play out, but considering smallpox is the only disease humans have completely eradicated, he is confident COVID-19 will not be the next. Dr. Fauci…

As it has become clearer that Omicron is more contagious and mild compared to previous COVID-19 variants, many have begun to question the value of avoiding infection. With the rationale that everyone at some point will be exposed to Omicron so why try to limit the spread now. Experts have several…

A California biotechnology company, GRAIL, is introducing a blood test called Galleri that claims to catch hard-to-detect, aggressive cancers including esophageal, ovarian, and pancreatic. It could play an important role in early detection of cancer which increases the chances of successful…

On Wednesday of this week, the CDC announced that individuals with mood disorders would be added to the list of those eligible for a COVID-19 booster vaccine. This comes after recommendations from experts in the field who have argued that the mind-body connection makes those with mental illness at…