Month: August 2020

West Michigan saw its highest case counts in July, as metro Detroit had a respite. And now, some of the most dense cases are in the remote western Upper Peninsula, in Menominee County. Though small in population, Menominee has averaged six new cases a day, or 26 for each 100,000 people, by far the highest current rate in the state. In comparison, Macomb County, which had the most cases on Wednesday (138), has had a daily average of 13.5 cases for every 100,000 people. Who is getting the virus Across Michigan, people of color and older residents have borne the brunt of the virus.  African Americans, who comprise 14 percent of the state population, make up nearly 40 percent of deaths and have a death rate — deaths per 1 million — that at 1,650 is nearly four times higher than it is for whit...

Author: “Smartphone use in the evening, tablet use after bedtime, and television use in the evening were all correlated with the decline of sperm concentration.“ DARIEN, Ill. — Numerous studies link smartphone or tablet use at night to trouble falling asleep. Now, a new study finds yet another compelling reason to avoid such gadgets before bed — at least for men who hope to one day start a family. New research by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine notes a correlation between nighttime digital media use and poor sperm quality. These preliminary results suggest that the more often a man uses digital devices, both in the evening in general and after bedtime, the more his sperm quality will decline. Among studied males who reported regular and copious electronic device use at night,...

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Image copyright Getty Images The government plans to train up an army of health professionals to be ready to give the coronavirus vaccine, if and when one is shown to work. This could include pharmacists, who already deliver flu vaccines, midwives and physiotherapists. The proposals come amid fears that, if a safe and effective vaccine became available now, there wouldn't be enough people to administer it. But a vaccine is not expected to be ready before Christmas. Although the chances of having a vaccine this year are considered to be small, preparations are being made so that if one is ready, it can be given to a large number of people very quickly. Proposals, which are bei...

A revised coronavirus death forecast for the United States, released Thursday, projects the nation will see a total of 317,697 virus-linked deaths by Dec. 1. That’s an increase of about 8,000 deaths from last week's earlier forecast issued by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington. As of Thursday, the U.S. had recorded 5,863,363 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 180,595 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. The rate of new cases has declined in recent weeks, but the death rate has remained steady at around 1,000 a day since early August. COVID-19 is currently the second leading cause of death in the U.S., after ischemic heart disease. The IHME predicts the virus will be the nation's leading cause of death by December, when 2,0...