Oklahoma City hospitals are short of staff and overwhelmed, with no ICU or inpatient beds available as the Omicron variant causes a surge of Covid-19 patients, according to an open letter from leaders of the city’s four major health care systems. “Our emergency departments are overflowing. Our caregivers are still strong, but they are exhausted.…… MORE
Kadesha Adelakun bought toys from “Encanto” before she even had a chance to see the movie. She knew characters from a multiracial Afro-Latino family would be an important addition to her office in Kennesaw, Georgia, where she holds play therapy sessions and makes a point of finding toys that reflect the diversity of her young…… MORE
It’s still too early to predict whether Omicron’s rapid spread will help push coronavirus from the pandemic phase to a more manageable endemic phase — but “I would hope that that’s the case,” Dr. Anthony Fauci said Monday. A disease that is endemic has a constant presence in a population but does not affect an…… MORE
Early data out of Israel suggests that a fourth dose of either the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna coronavirus vaccine can bring an increase in antibodies — more than what’s been seen after a third dose — but it still might not be enough to protect against breakthrough infections caused by the Omicron variant. “These are very…… MORE
If the scientists at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had their way, to curb the spread of Covid-19 right now, nearly every US school would cancel football, wrestling, band and loads of other mainstay school activities. In another piece of guidance, the CDC tells people who’ve recovered from Covid-19 that they can…… MORE
Areas that were among the first to get hit hard by the Omicron variant are starting to see their Covid-19 numbers level off or even improve. But that’s not the case for much of the country, US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said. “There are parts of the country — New York, in particular, and…… MORE
Refreshed. Renewed. Ready for 2022. NOT. In past years, returning from the holidays came replete with new energy to start the year. There were resolutions (be more active!) and lofty goals (write the book!) and restored energy to commit to them. Staring down the barrel of 2022, though, the thought of conjuring energy to resolve…… MORE
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has changed its mask guidelines to recommend that people “wear the most protective mask you can that fits well and that you will wear consistently.” The agency describes well-fitting respirators approved by the National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH) — such as N95 masks —…… MORE
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its mask information for the American public on Friday, including clarifying that certain types of masks and respirators offer more protection from the coronavirus than others and offering tips on what consumers should look for when shopping for them. “Masking is a critical public health tool…… MORE
Space travel is known to be notoriously rough on the human body, but new research has revealed just how hard it hits red blood cells. When we’re on Earth, our bodies create and destroy 2 million of these cells per second. In space, astronauts experienced 3 million red blood cells destroyed per second, resulting in…… MORE
