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Before the pandemic, Anne Leonard’s friends and family had only a cursory interest in her two decades of work manufacturing pharmaceuticals. But recently, when her grandmother learned that her work as the director of quality assurance at the Catalent facility in Indiana meant that her granddaughter was helping keep the Johnson & Johnson and Moderna
Continue ReadingAs officials and health experts race to get Americans vaccinated against Covid-19, some Catholic bishops have weighed in to discourage Church members from getting the latest, single-shot vaccine from Johnson & Johnson when alternatives are available. The US Conference of Catholic Bishops, as well as at least 6 other dioceses from across the country have
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The end of mask mandates in Texas and Mississippi has created a dilemma for businesses: Keep such safety rules in place to protect against Covid-19 spread, as leading health officials advise, or follow the two states’ decisions and loosen restrictions. Leading US grocery chains, pharmacies, retailers and auto manufacturers, including Target, Kroger, CVS, Walgreens, Best
Continue ReadingTeens are about twice as likely to report “wheezing or whistling” in the chest after vaping marijuana than after smoking cigarettes or using e-cigarettes, a new study has found. “This surprised us, we thought we would find more negative respiratory symptoms in both cigarettes and e-cigarettes users,” said study author Carol Boyd, co-director of the
Continue ReadingOn a recent trip to the supermarket, I was trying and failing miserably to open a plastic bag to tuck my broccoli into — without licking my fingers for some much-needed traction because, well, pandemic — when I nearly lost it. My frustration only increased when all the huffing and puffing at the useless attempts
Continue ReadingGetting enough sleep was tough even before the pandemic. With disrupted routines, extra screen time and the incredible amount of stress most people face now, sleep routines seem to have gone quickly but quietly downhill. And from what I’m seeing in my child psychiatry practice — kids are suffering especially hard. Consider the work our
Continue ReadingSeveral states on Tuesday announced they are loosening restrictions put in place to stop the spread of Covid-19, even as health experts warn against doing just that. Texas and Mississippi, for example, are lifting mask mandates and allowing businesses to open at full capacity. It’s too soon, health experts say. After the number of new
Continue ReadingWhen she found a lump in her left breast during a routine self-check, Boston primary care physician Dr. Devon Quasha knew exactly what to do. She immediately scheduled a diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound at Massachusetts General Hospital for early January. Then the Moderna vaccine became available to health care professionals in the city. She received
Continue ReadingYounger and middle-age Americans have been dying at higher rates over the past three decades, marking what is becoming a public health crisis across the US workforce. Among the causes of death increasingly striking working-age Americans between 1990 and 2017 are drug overdose, alcohol use and suicides, according to a new report published Tuesday by
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Leigh Oquendo welcomed her kindergarteners on Monday as they filed into her Hawthorne Scholastic Academy classroom in Chicago, as any teacher would. What made this day special was that, for many of the children, it was the first time they had seen a teacher or fellow students in-person since the pandemic closed schools last March
Continue ReadingAmericans have received some good news lately about the coronavirus. But the country is not yet in the clear, experts warn. A third Covid-19 vaccine — Johnson & Johnson’s single shot — is now on its way to states across the country. And Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations have generally been dropping for weeks. But case
Continue ReadingAmericans have received some good news lately about the coronavirus. But that doesn’t mean we’re in the clear yet, experts warn. A third Covid-19 vaccine –– Johnson & Johnson’s single shot — has been authorized for emergency use and is now on its way to states across the country. And for several weeks, Covid-19 cases
Continue ReadingAnd then there were three. There are now three Covid-19 vaccines authorized for emergency use by the US Food and Drug Administration, manufactured by Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. All three will be distributed across the United States. Many people are wondering which Covid-19 vaccine they should get: Is one better for certain groups
Continue ReadingThe US is at risk of losing all its recent gains in the battle against Covid-19 as highly contagious variants take advantage of Americans getting lax with safety measures. “Please hear me clearly: At this level of cases with variants spreading, we stand to completely lose the hard-earned ground we have gained,” said Dr. Rochelle
Continue ReadingAddiction to smartphones will result in poor sleep, according to a new study. The study, published Tuesday in Frontiers in Psychiatry, looked at smartphone use among 1,043 students between the ages of 18 and 30 at King’s College London. Researchers asked the students to complete two questionnaires on their sleep quality and smartphone usage, in
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Millions more Covid-19 vaccines are on the way. Moderna, Pfizer and now Johnson & Johnson will deliver enough doses to fully vaccinate 130 million people — more than one-third of the US population — by the end of March, the pharmaceutical companies told a House subcommittee last week. Moderna plans to deliver 100 million doses
Continue ReadingYou’ve been chatting with someone for 20 minutes, but the conversation grew stale halfway through. You look around the room, desperate to find an escape from this tedious monologue but can’t come up with a polite way to leave. Sigh. You stay put, choosing to endure the conversation rather than be impolite and leave. You
Continue ReadingThe US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has just released a road map for bringing students back to in-person instruction. About 89% of children in the US, however, live in a county considered a “red” zone with high levels of Covid-19 transmission under that new guidance, according to a CNN analysis of federal data.
Continue ReadingThe United States is getting a third coronavirus vaccine — this one made by Johnson & Johnson. The US Food and Drug Administration has given the vaccine emergency use authorization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended it, and the federal government is scheduled to start distribution almost immediately. Two vaccines are already
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The US just added another powerful weapon in the battle against Covid-19: a third vaccine. The single-dose shot, from Johnson & Johnson, comes at critical time in this pandemic. Weeks of tumbling case numbers have plateaued, raising concerns from top health experts that highly contagious variants are taking a stronger hold in the US. “There’s
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