Month: August 2021

A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed Tuesday that people who aren’t vaccinated against COVID-19 are 29.2 times as likely to be hospitalized because of the virus as fully vaccinated people. The study, which looked at infections among more than 43,000 people in Los Angeles from May through most of July, puts a clear number on something public health officials around the country have been broadcasting for months: People who are vaccinated against COVID-19 drastically lower their chances of suffering any serious symptoms from the virus. “These data remind us that if you are not yet vaccinated, you are among those highest at risk,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said at a press conference Tuesday after sharing the new findings. The study also found t...

Haley Richardson, a labor and delivery nurse, was just over six months pregnant with her second child when she came down with what she thought was a sinus infection in late July. When her condition worsened, Richardson, 32, of Theodore, Alabama, took a COVID-19 test and was positive, said her husband, Jordan Richardson. At the time Richardson, who wasn't vaccinated, was experiencing typical COVID-19 symptoms — fatigue, loss of smell and taste — so she self-isolated at home, according to her husband. "She knew how overrun the hospitals were and she didn't want to put a burden on anybody else," Jordan Richardson, who also battled COVID-19 but suffered only minor symptoms, said of Haley. "She knew what we thought we should be looking for in watching her oxygen levels and her heart rate and k...

Photo: Timolina (Shutterstock) Stuffy summer evenings call for dinners that are fast, easy, and require minimal cooking—perhaps a salad, bread, and a charcuterie board piled high with your favorite cured meats. If that’s what’s on your menu though, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests a minor modification: Heat that meat. Why? There is currently a Salmonella outbreak linked to Italian-style meats, but at this point, its source is unclear. Here’s what to know about the CDC investigation, including how to safely consume an antipasto platter. What we know about the Salmonella outbreak At present, there are two Salmonella outbreaks linked to Italian-style meats in the United States, with a total of 36 reported illnesses and 12 hospitalizations across 14 states, ac...

The breast milk of women who’ve been vaccinated with mRNA COVID-19 vaccines contains a significant supply of antibodies that may help keep babies safe, a new study says. Although there are still many questions about how much protection those antibodies offer infants — and how long that protection lasts — researchers say the findings provide another compelling reason for women who are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding to get vaccinated. “When babies are born, they have a relatively immature system. It develops over time. So the major protections that babies receive come from Mom. So if Mom is producing these antibodies that are present in the breast milk, there is the potential for that protection that Mom has to be transferred over to her baby,” Joseph Larkin III, ...

RT: Maria Van Kerkhove, Head a.i. Emerging Diseases and Zoonosis at the World Health Organization (WHO), speaks during a news conference on the situation of the coronavirus at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, January 29, 2020. Denis Balibouse | Reuters A top World Health Organization official said that misinformation about Covid-19 and vaccines appears to have gotten worse in recent weeks and is keeping people from getting the shots and driving an increase in cases around the world. Public health leaders have blamed conspiracy theories and misinformation for growing distrust of the vaccines around the world — so much so that U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy declared Covid misinformation a "serious public threat" in the U.S. last month. "In the las...

Thirty-seven Illinois counties and Chicago are now at "warning level" for intensive care unit bed availability, according to COVID-19 data from the state health department. The Illinois Department of Public Health is reporting that the following areas are experiencing limited ICU bed availability: Alexander, Bond, Boone, Carroll, Chicago, Clinton, Cook, DeKalb, Edwards, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jackson, Jefferson, Jo Daviess, Johnson, Lee, Madison, Marion, Massac, Monroe, Ogle, Perry, Pope, Pulaski, Randolph, Saline, St. Clair, Stephenson, Union, Wabash, Washington, Wayne, White, Whiteside, Williamson, Winnebago. For a county to reach "warning level," it must have below 20% ICU bed capacity, IDPH noted. As of Tuesday, Chicago was experiencing 17.1...