July 2, 2020

Americans Started Staying Put Early in the Pandemic, and That May Have Saved Lives

WEDNESDAY, July 1, 2020 -- Americans began to travel less before states started to issue stay-at-home orders, and that may have curbed coronavirus case numbers, a new study suggests.

"Our results strongly support the conclusion that social distancing played a crucial role in the reduction of case growth rates in multiple U.S. counties during March and April, and is therefore an effective mitigation policy for COVID-19 in the USA," said study author Lauren Gardner, from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

July 2, 2020

No Good Evidence on Accuracy of Coronavirus Antibody Tests: Study

WEDNESDAY, July 1, 2020 -- Do you wonder if you've been exposed to the new coronavirus in the recent past?

July 2, 2020

New U.S. Coronavirus Cases Top 50,000 as More States Slow Reopening Plans

THURSDAY, July 2, 2020 -- The daily tally of new U.S. coronavirus cases passed 50,000 on Wednesday, as more reopening plans across the country were slowed amid fears of spiking infections.

A glimmer of hope emerged on the economic front when unemployment numbers were released by the U.S. Labor Department Thursday morning: 4.8 million jobs were added to the national workforce last month, the second straight monthly gain after losing more than 20 million jobs in April, The New York Times reported. Still, 1.4 million Americans filed jobless claims last week, the 15th straight week that unemployment claims have surpassed 1 million.

July 2, 2020

Could Threshold for COVID-19 Herd Immunity Be Lower Than Thought?

THURSDAY, July 2, 2020 -- Could young people going out and partying be the key to limiting the spread of COVID-19?

Possibly, as a new mathematical model argues that herd immunity might be achieved with fewer people becoming immune through infection than was believed, if you take into account how the virus would spread among younger, more socially active folks.

July 2, 2020

Pandemic Means More Backyard Fireworks This Year -- And More Danger

THURSDAY, July 2, 2020 -- With communities across the United States canceling Fourth of July celebrations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, backyard fireworks are likely to be more popular than ever.

July 2, 2020

Scientists Find Source of COVID Clots

THURSDAY, July 2, 2020 -- COVID-19 is linked to potentially fatal blood clots. Researchers now believe they've found out how they occur, which potentially could lead to better treatment.

"While many forms of illness can generate blood clots, the endothelial cells that line the inside of blood vessels play a surprisingly large role in COVID-19 clotting," said researcher Dr. Alfred Lee, an associate professor of medicine at Yale Cancer Center.

July 2, 2020

MS Patients Turn to Marijuana, Other Alternative Treatments

THURSDAY, July 2, 2020 -- Despite the existence of conventional medications to manage multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms, a majority of patients also rely on alternative therapies, including vitamins, exercise and marijuana, a new survey suggests.

For the study, researchers at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland asked MS patients if they used "complementary and alternative therapies" -- medicines and practices outside of standard medical care.

July 2, 2020

Fireworks Are Bad News for Your Lungs

THURSDAY, July 2, 2020 -- A new threat has been added to the risks posed by fireworks -- they can release toxic metals that can damage your lungs.

These metals give fireworks their colors, according to researchers who found harmful levels of lead in two of 12 types of commercially available fireworks they tested.

July 2, 2020

Biases Mean Men Dubbed 'Brilliant' More Often Than Women

THURSDAY, July 2, 2020 -- When it comes to intelligence, men are more likely to be bestowed with the lofty attribute than women, a new study finds.

These stereotyped views are a result of implicit bias that people don't admit when asked directly, the researchers noted.

July 2, 2020

COVID-19 Death Risk Twice as High in New York City as Some Countries

THURSDAY, July 2, 2020 -- New York City's COVID-19 death rate was more than double that of some countries, and the city's oldest people had the highest risk of death, researchers report.

They used a computer model to analyze over 191,000 lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases along with more than 20,000 confirmed and probable COVID-19 deaths in New York City from March 1 to May 16.