Health

Pfizer and Moderna are testing their coronavirus vaccines to see if they work against the new mutated version of the virus that’s recently been found in the United Kingdom and other countries, according to company statements. “Based on the data to date, we expect that the Moderna vaccine-induced immunity would be protective against the variants

With everyday life disrupted due to the ongoing pandemic, stress is at an all-time high. Fears of getting sick, uncertainty of jobs, uneasiness about sending kids to school and cold winter weather (and flu season) all are sources of stress in the lives of many. Add to that the pressures of the holidays and overturned

Even as we count down the final days of December, many of us are still coming to terms with the fact that holiday events and gatherings are looking very different than Christmases past. Christmas 2020, however, isn’t canceled unless you decide it is. This season, don’t say “bah, humbug!” Say “why not?” and start new

Are you finding yourself tossing and turning in the middle of the night, unable to stay asleep? Or maybe you’ve always struggled with falling asleep, but now it’s taking hours instead of 30 minutes for shut-eye to kick in. With a high-stress environment caused by the pandemic, the US presidential election and a world constantly

As the number of Covid-19 cases reported in the United States passed 18 million, the second vaccine given emergency authorization was being administered Monday for the first time outside of clinical trials. One of the first people to get a public dose of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine was a doctor in Texas who has gone

After 277 consecutive days at work, Dr. Joseph Varon received a very special gift Monday: one of the first public doses of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine. “This is like having gold,” Varon said, holding a box of doses shortly before he was vaccinated. “I don’t cry, but I came very close … You know how

The overwhelming amount of loss we’ve experienced during this pandemic is in stark contrast to what is supposedly the happiest time of the year. Nine months to a year into the crisis, depending on where you live, nearly 2 million people around the world have died from Covid-19. And that’s in addition to the thousands

As many people face the prospect of being alone for the holidays, new science is showing how loneliness might actually help build structures in the brain tied to imagination. Lonely people were more likely to have increased activity in areas of the brain tied to reminiscing, thinking about others and future planning, according to a

Crown roast of pork? Pass. Beef Wellington? Boring. Clam dip? Well … maybe we’ll keep the clam dip on the menu. In a year that’s been upside down and inside out, why stick with the same old dishes for Christmas dinner? This season, it’s time to lighten up a bit and bend the rules on

First, the good news: The Moderna vaccine will likely be going into people’s arms Monday, boosting the number of Americans who will start getting inoculated against Covid-19. Now, the bad news: Most Americans can’t get vaccinated until next year. In the meantime, new infections, hospitalizations and deaths keep soaring, prompting health experts to urge the

The next time you get your blood pressure taken at the doctor, you might consider asking the nurse to take it in both arms. A significant difference in the systolic, or top blood pressure reading between the two arms could be a warning sign of a future heart attack or stroke, according to a new

It’s another day of self-isolating, which means it’s potentially another day of sitting indoors restlessly taking yet another Zoom meeting. Prolonged sitting is an unavoidable reality for many. And with lots of us spending more time inside, as the pandemic continues, it’s inevitable that we’re spending even more time being sedentary. The irony is that

Scientists at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research expect to know in the next few days if there’s a concern that the coronavirus vaccines might not work against a mutated variant of the virus that’s rapidly spreading in parts of England, according to the institute’s top vaccine researcher. While there’s always a worry that

Vaccine advisers to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted 13-1 on Sunday to recommend that both older adults, ages 75 and older, and “frontline essential workers” including first responders be next in line to receive Covid-19 vaccines. That would put those people in “Phase 1b” of allocating the vaccine nationwide. That committee