Month: January 2022

An Israeli hospital said preliminary research shows a fourth dose of the coronavirus vaccine does boost antibodies, but it's not enough to stop the spread of omicron. Yet medical experts and public officials continue to urge people to get vaccinated amid an omicron-driven surge. Sheba Hospital last month began administering a fourth vaccine to more than 270 medical workers — 154 who received a Pfizer vaccine and 120 others who received Moderna’s. All had previously been vaccinated three times with the Pfizer vaccine. The clinical trial found that both groups showed increases in antibodies “slightly higher” than following the third vaccine last year. But it said the increased antibodies did not prevent the spread of omicron. Meanwhile, Moderna and Pfizer are working...

Surviving a previous infection provided better protection than vaccination against Covid-19 during the Delta wave, federal health authorities said, citing research showing that both the shots and recovery from the virus provided significant defense. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday that data from 1.1 million Covid-19 cases in California and New York last year showed people who were unvaccinated and hadn’t previously contracted Covid-19 faced a far greater risk than both people who had gotten the shots and people who had been infected.

It is well established that days of extreme heat are dangerous for adults and can lead to excess deaths, particularly in vulnerable populations like older people. When temperatures rise, people can become severely ill or die if they are unable to effectively sweat and cool off. This can lead to an increase in internal body temperature. Understand the Latest News on Climate Change In addition to temperature-related illnesses like heat strokes or heat exhaustion, adults can also suffer cardiovascular and respiratory disorders. Last summer, a New York Times analysis found that the deadly heat wave in the Pacific Northwest resulted in 600 more deaths than would have been typical. “We know that, due to climate change, days with extreme heat are going to be more frequent and more intense,” said...

(StudyFinds.org) — A simple eye test may provide doctors with a clue into how long you have left to live. An international team has discovered a link between the biological age of a person’s retinas and their risk of death. The membrane at the back of the eye contains light sensitive cells that begin deteriorating during middle age. A study of almost 47,000 adults found that people whose retinas were “older” than their actual age were more likely to die over the next decade. The discovery could lead to a routine screening tool for a host of life-threatening illnesses – including Alzheimer’s disease. “The retina offers a unique, accessible ‘window’ to evaluate underlying pathological processes of systemic vascular and neurological diseases that are associated with in...