Month: September 2021

NEW YORK (AP) — A new study ties the COVID-19 pandemic to an “alarming” increase in obesity in U.S. children and teenagers. Childhood obesity has been increasing for decades, but the new work suggests an acceleration last year — especially in those who already were obese when the pandemic started. The results signal a “profound increase in weight gain for kids” and are “substantial and alarming,” said one of the study’s authors, Dr. Alyson Goodman of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s also a sign of a vicious cycle. The pandemic appears to be worsening the nation’s longstanding obesity epidemic, and obesity can put people at risk for more severe illness after coronavirus infection. The CDC on Thursday released the study, which is the largest yet to look at obesity tren...

It’s been over two years since Samsung first announced that its Galaxy Watch would be able to measure people’s blood pressure. The feature is available in a number of countries, including South Korea, but not in the United States — the company is still awaiting Food and Drug Administration clearance. In the meantime, other smartwatch companies have started experimenting with blood pressure tech in a bid for monitors on their devices. Fitbit announced a study trialing a blood pressure monitor in April, and Apple is reportedly working on its own version, as well. Adding a blood pressure monitor to smartwatches could arguably be more important for users’ cardiovascular health than the heart rate and rhythm monitors they have now, says says Ann Marie Navar, a cardiologist at the Univer...

Vehicles line up outside of a COVID-19 testing site at the Mount Olympus Senior Center in Millcreek on Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2021. People wait approximately two hours to get tested. ( Kristin Murphy, Deseret News) SALT LAKE CITY — Utah health officials reported 1,885 new COVID-19 cases and 15 additional deaths on Thursday. Of the new cases, 436 were school-age children, according to a daily update provided by the Utah Department of Health. The rolling seven-day average for new cases is now 1,675 per day, and the average percent positivity rate of those tested stands at 13.5%. Health care workers administered 9,427 vaccines since Wednesday's report, bringing total vaccinations given in Utah to 3,366,292 doses. In the last 28 days, un...

Indoor bars, wineries, breweries, nightclubs and lounges in much of Los Angeles County will require proof of COVID-19 vaccination under a new health order to be issued by Friday. The basics The mandate will require patrons and employees to have at least one vaccine dose by Oct. 7 and be fully vaccinated by Nov. 4. Under the new order, participants and workers at outdoor “mega events” with more than 10,000 attendees will also need to provide proof of vaccination or show that they’ve recently tested negative for the coronavirus, also starting Oct. 7. That requirement is already in place for indoor events of at least 1,000 people. About 67% of Angelenos already have been at least partially inoculated against COVID-19, according to The Times’ tracker. Indoor restaurants County hea...

“I can only hope it will encourage more people to get vaccinated against influenza,” Korpics said. “Influenza, like COVID, is a preventable illness due to our ability to vaccinate. As a physician, it is incredibly sad to see patients who come to the hospital and die from influenza or COVID, which could have been prevented by the vaccine.”