Coronavirus cases continued to soar in Africa as they slowed elsewhere in the world for the sixth week in a row, throwing vaccine inequalities starkly into the spotlight.
Teen girls suicide attempts up dramatically in pandemic: study
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Friday that emergency department visits for suspected suicide attempts by teenage girls rose significantly last year compared to 2019, highlighting the mental health impact of the pandemic.
Start-up launches India’s first COVID home test kit
Indian start-up Mylab Discovery Solutions hopes that its inexpensive COVID-19 home test kit—the country’s first—will help the massive South Asian nation better track the pandemic’s spread among its 1.3-billion people.
Doctors urge delay in next lockdown easing in England
Britain’s main doctors’ union has joined calls for the next planned lockdown easing in England to be delayed, as figures Friday showed new COVID-19 cases across the U.K. running at their highest level since late February.
Some J&J vaccine doses can be used, but many must be tossed
U.S. regulators are allowing the release of about 10 million doses of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine from a troubled Baltimore factory, but many more doses can’t be used and must be thrown out.
Vitamin D deficiency may increase risk for addiction to opioids and ultraviolet rays
Vitamin D deficiency strongly exaggerates the craving for and effects of opioids, potentially increasing the risk for dependence and addiction, according to a new study led by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). These findings, published in Science Advances, suggest that addressing the common problem of vitamin D deficiency with inexpensive supplements could play a …
Study finds brain areas involved in seeking information about bad possibilities
The term “doomscrolling” describes the act of endlessly scrolling through bad news on social media and reading every worrisome tidbit that pops up, a habit that unfortunately seems to have become common during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Promising ovarian cancer treatment proves effective and efficient
Preclinical trials of a new radiopharmaceutical to treat ovarian cancer have produced successful results, dramatically limiting tumor growth and decreasing tumor mass. Designed specifically for ovarian cancers that are resistant to traditional therapies, the new radiopharmaceutical can be produced in 25 minutes at low cost, which leads to better efficiency compared with alternative methods. This …
UK says Delta variant 60 percent more transmissible
The British government said Friday that the new Delta coronavirus variant is 60 percent more transmissible in households than the variant that forced the UK to lock down in January.
Mayo Clinic Q and A: Viral skin bumps that are a common occurrence in childhood
DEAR MAYO CLINIC: My 7-year-old son developed a small pink bump on his arm recently. Soon we started noticing more on his back and under his arms. His pediatrician said they were called “molluscum,” and we didn’t have to do anything about them. But I am worried about them spreading to his little sister. What …