Rat droppings from New York City. Poop from dog parks in Wisconsin. Human waste from a Missouri hospital. These are some of the materials that are readying us for the next chapter of the coronavirus saga. More than four years into the pandemic, the virus has loosened its hold on most people’s bodies and minds. […]
Read MoreTag: Influenza
Covid Taught Us a Lot. The CDC Now Wants Us to Forget It.
Symptoms, which most school and workplace policies rely on, are a surprisingly bad way to estimate whether you might be contagious. In January 2020, a loved one was hospitalized for RSV, and I started researching how long I should stay home if I had it, too. The CDC says people with RSV can be contagious […]
Read MoreC.D.C. Considers Ending 5-Day Isolation Period for Covid
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is considering loosening its recommendations regarding how long people should isolate after testing positive for the coronavirus, another reflection of changing attitudes and norms as the pandemic recedes. Under the proposed guidelines, Americans would no longer be advised to isolate for five days before returning to work or […]
Read MoreCovid Vaccine Hesitancy Took Off This Winter. Can We Fix It?
The response has been almost like clockwork, at nearly every medical visit in the last few weeks. “It’s time for the flu shot,” I’ll say to my patients, “plus the updated Covid vaccine.” And that’s when the groans start. In the past, the flu shot elicited the most resistance. The patients at my New York […]
Read MoreCovid Has Resurged, but Scientists See a Diminished Threat
The holidays have come and gone, and once again Americans are riding a tide of respiratory ailments, including Covid. But so far, this winter’s Covid uptick seems less deadly than last year’s, and much less so than in 2022, when the Omicron surge ground the nation to a halt. “We’re not seeing the signs that […]
Read MoreChina Respiratory Illness: U.S. Health Officials Say Cause is Known
A small group of Republican senators on Friday called on President Biden to ban travel from China to protect against an outbreak of respiratory illnesses in children there, even as scientists and global and American health officials said there were no signs of a threatening new pathogen. Instead, those experts said, the evidence so far […]
Read MoreCan You Get the New Covid Booster and Flu Shot at the Same Time?
Most Americans will be eligible for both the new monovalent Covid vaccine and the annual flu shot this fall. You can schedule your vaccines separately or choose to get them at the same time. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is safe to get both the Covid vaccine and flu shot […]
Read MoreDecongestant in Cold Medicines Doesn’t Work, Panel Says
Why It Matters: These Are Popular Staples of the Medicine Cabinet. Every cold and flu season, millions of Americans reach for these products, some over decades. The decongestant is in at least 250 products that were worth nearly $1.8 billion in sales last year, according to an agency presentation. Among the products: Sudafed Sinus Congestion, […]
Read MoreC.D.C. Advisers to Decide Who Should Receive New Covid Vaccines
Americans may be able to receive the next Covid shots as early as Wednesday, the last of a trifecta of vaccines intended to prevent respiratory infections this fall and winter. On Monday, the Food and Drug Administration authorized updated Covid vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna. A scientific advisory committee to the Centers for Disease Control […]
Read MoreCovid Vaccines May Roll Out Within Days
The latest Covid boosters are expected to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration as early as Monday, arriving alongside the seasonal flu vaccine and shots to protect infants and older adults from R.S.V., a potentially lethal respiratory virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to follow up on Tuesday with […]
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