COVID-19

  • Is Orthrus the Next Top-Dog COVID Variant?
    on February 7, 2023 at 5:45 pm

    (MedPage Today) — The Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 — aka “Kraken” — has climbed to more than 66% of new COVID-19 cases in the U.S., but a relatively new Omicron subvariant named after a two-headed dog may be nipping at its tentacles. Over…

  • Lower Excess Mortality Seen for Physicians vs General Public During COVID Pandemic
    on February 6, 2023 at 11:30 am

    (MedPage Today) — Physicians had substantially lower excess mortality compared with the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers found. From March 2020 through December 2021, there were 4,511 deaths among a monthly mean of…

  • California’s Medical Misinformation Law Facing Legal Challenges
    on February 3, 2023 at 5:30 pm

    (MedPage Today) — Late last month, a federal judge in California granted a preliminary injunction in a pair of related lawsuits filed in opposition to the state’s new medical misinformation law, which took effect January 1. The move temporarily…

  • BCG Vaccine Flops for Preventing COVID, Other Respiratory Infections
    on February 3, 2023 at 2:30 pm

    (MedPage Today) — The bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine failed to protect against COVID-19 and other respiratory tract infections (RTIs) among older adults with comorbidities, according to a randomized trial from The Netherlands. In…

  • Long COVID’s 7 Symptoms; Most of U.S. Backs Tobacco Ban; Ugly People and Face Masks
    on February 3, 2023 at 9:44 am

    (MedPage Today) — Note that some links may require subscriptions. Data on more than 50,000 people suggest that seven symptoms are unique to long COVID: heart palpitations, hair loss, fatigue, chest pain, shortness of breath, joint pain, and obesity…

  • Bowden’s Defamation Suit Against Houston Methodist Tossed
    on February 2, 2023 at 2:00 pm

    (MedPage Today) — A judge dismissed a $25 million defamation lawsuit filed against Houston Methodist Hospital by otolaryngologist Mary Talley Bowden, MD, court records show. Bowden had alleged that the hospital damaged her reputation when it…

  • VA’s Formulary May Have Curbed Misuse of Ivermectin for COVID-19
    on February 2, 2023 at 11:30 am

    (MedPage Today) — In contrast to retail pharmacies, there was only a minimal increase in ivermectin dispensing at Veterans Administration (VA) pharmacies during the COVID-19 pandemic, possibly due to the VA national formulary restriction on the…

  • What Changes When the COVID Emergency Ends in May?
    on February 2, 2023 at 9:11 am

    (MedPage Today) — WASHINGTON — The Biden administration plans to end the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) in May, but that may not make much difference because some of the regulations that normally would be affected have already been…

  • Colorado Doc Put on Probation for Ivermectin Prescriptions
    on January 31, 2023 at 5:00 pm

    (MedPage Today) — The Colorado Medical Board put a family medicine physician’s license on probation after he admitted to prescribing ivermectin for COVID-19 without properly informing patients of the drug’s risks or discussing the FDA-approved…

  • U.S. to End COVID-19 Emergency; Processed Food Addiction; Is TV Zombie Fungus Real?
    on January 31, 2023 at 9:15 am

    (MedPage Today) — Note that some links may require subscriptions. The Biden administration plans to end the COVID-19 public health emergency and national emergency declarations on May 11, the Office of Management and Budget revealed. Two emergency…

  • Spain ends compulsory use of face masks on public transport
    by Sam Jones in Madrid on February 8, 2023 at 1:08 pm

    Health minister hails ‘important step towards normality’ as country eases anti-Covid measureThe use of face masks has ceased to be compulsory on public transport in Spain, bringing an end to almost three years of the government’s most visible anti-Covid measure.Masks became obligatory on public transport on 4 May 2020 after the socialist-led coalition government introduced legislation decreeing they had to be worn by those using buses, taxis, trains, metro systems, aeroplanes or boats. Continue reading…

  • Jewish group and MPs urge GB News to stop indulging conspiracy theories
    by Peter Walker Political correspondent on February 8, 2023 at 6:00 am

    Fears antisemitic tropes are being spread after host Neil Oliver discusses plan to impose ‘one-world government’The UK’s leading Jewish organisation and a group of MPs have called on GB News and the media regulator Ofcom to tackle the broadcaster’s indulgence of conspiracy theories, warning that some recent segments and guests risked spreading ideas linked to antisemitism.The criticism comes as the channel faces increasing scrutiny over its mix of serious news with programmes that delve heavily into conspiracies about areas including Covid vaccines and a plot to create a world government. Continue reading…

  • ‘We just want to live in a normal world’: China’s young protesters speak out, and disappear
    by Verna Yu on February 8, 2023 at 12:33 am

    ‘Blank Paper movement’ decrying government policies rekindles dissent after Xi Jinping’s decade of iron-fisted crackdownsCao Zhixin was an ordinary young woman with no political ambition, but a fateful decision to take to the streets one night last year has inadvertently turned her into the face of resistance in China.“She was just a girl who was keen on books, she didn’t have great ambitions,” says a close friend who spoke to the Guardian but requested anonymity for fear of reprisals. “She said all she wanted was a husband, kids and a warm bed.” Continue reading…

  • Covid ‘shaming’ shifted focus from UK government failures, study says
    by Steven Morris on February 7, 2023 at 1:16 pm

    Creating conditions in which people suffered shame and stigma was ‘cynical’ tactic to steer attention away from errors, says studyCreating an environment in which individuals and marginalised groups were shamed during the Covid pandemic was a “cynical” tactic to steer attention away from the UK government’s errors, an academic study has concluded.The research by medical humanities scholars at the University of Exeter said people from ethnic minority groups, those with medical conditions such as obesity and health professionals all suffered shame and stigma. Continue reading…

  • Fifth Covid vaccine for Australian adults to roll out later this month
    by Nino Bucci on February 7, 2023 at 11:30 am

    Omicron-specific dose will be available for over-18s who have not had a booster or a confirmed coronavirus case in past six monthsFollow our Australia news live blog for the latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastA fifth Covid vaccine dose will be made available to Australian adults from later this month.The health minister, Mark Butler, has announced all adults who have not had a booster or a confirmed case of Covid-19 in the past six months will be eligible for another dose from 20 February, after the government accepted the advice of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (Atagi).Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading…