CNN – Health

By Christina Maxouris, CNN A day after reporting its highest average daily Covid-19 case number, the US shattered the record Thursday, with an average of 355,990 infections reported every day in the past week, according to Johns Hopkins University. As the latest surge sweeps across the US, pushing cases and hospitalizations to unprecedented levels and

By Maggie Fox, CNN A traveler isolated for Covid-19 at a quarantine facility in New Zealand managed to infect three others across a hallway, researchers reported Thursday. Closed-circuit camera footage, genetic testing and careful contact tracing show that the only conceivable way the virus could have passed from one room to another was in air

By Kaitlan Collins, CNN The US Food and Drug Administration is expected to broaden eligibility for Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine boosters to youths ages 12 to 15 in the coming days, according to a person familiar with the agency’s plan. People as young as 16 are already eligible to receive boosters of the Pfizer vaccine six

By Madeline Holcombe, CNN A new year is coming, and it brings along concerns over imminent holiday celebrations in light of the Omicron variant. The coronavirus strain, the latest “variant of concern,” according to the World Health Organization, is spreading across the United States quickly. In the next week or 10 days, the virus circulating

By Aya Elamroussi, CNN An unprecedented spike in Covid-19 cases fueled by the fast-moving Omicron variant is crushing hospitals across the United States, with doctors describing packed emergency rooms as health experts implore New Year’s Eve revelers to keep parties small and outdoors to help avert an even worse surge. “It’s unlike anything we’ve ever

By Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent It’s almost the new year and along with it comes the admittedly aspirational tradition of setting New Year’s resolutions — ones that we hopefully can stick to and not abandon after Week 3, or even Day 3, of 2022. At the same time, we’re sliding into our

By Holly Yan and Aya Elamroussi, CNN Sweeping new Covid-19 isolation and quarantine guidelines were spurred by scientific research and what Americans would likely tolerate, the director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday. They come as doctors expect the holiday coronavirus surge, driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant, to

By Sandee LaMotte, CNN Prefer your coffee black? Then you probably like dark, bitter chocolate, according to new research identifying a genetic basis for those preferences. If that’s you, then congratulations — you are the lucky genetic winner of a trait that may offer you a boost toward good health, according to caffeine researcher Marilyn

By Madeline Holcombe, CNN Do you have a sore throat, a runny nose and muscle aches? It could be a common cold, a case of the flu — or Covid-19. The illnesses all share similar symptoms, sometimes making it hard to distinguish which is putting you under the weather. Covid-19 cases are continuing to spread

By Jessica DuLong, CNN We have all heard ad nauseum about the necessity of life balance for mothers — including the assertion that it will make you a better parent. But adding self-care to your mile-long to-do list can feel impossible when you’re already juggling too much. Zibby Owens, author, publisher, podcaster and mother of

By Maggie Fox, Jen Christensen and Virginia Langmaid, CNN A five-fold increase in pediatric admissions in New York City this month. Close to double the numbers admitted in Washington, DC. And nationwide, on average, pediatric hospitalizations are up 48% in just the past week. The highly transmissible Omicron variant is teaming up with the busy

By Kristen Rogers, Madeline Holcombe and Amanda Sealy, CNN Don Lemon’s Louisiana crawfish étouffée and Brianna Keilar’s chili mac are among the favorite family recipes our CNN anchors love to cook up this time of year — and now they’re showing us how they do it. So grab an apron and join in on the

By Aya Elamroussi, CNN For Americans traveling after Christmas and New Year’s, getting their Covid-19 vaccinations or booster doses as soon as possible is critical to safely avoid serious illness, one health expert told CNN on Saturday. Amid a surge of cases nationwide fueled by the Omicron coronavirus variant before the holiday season, parts of

By Aya Elamroussi, CNN As the highly contagious Omicron coronavirus variant continues to spread across the US this holiday season, the rate of daily Covid-19 cases detected has eclipsed those fueled by the Delta variant over the summer. Covid-19 hospitalizations remain relatively lower than peaks earlier this year, yet the situation may worsen as tens

By Jacqueline Howard, CNN As Covid-19 cases continue to rise and the Omicron variant sweeps the world, some nations are rolling out fourth doses of coronavirus vaccine for the most vulnerable people. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s office announced this week that adults 60 and older, medical workers and people with suppressed immune systems could

By Elizabeth Cohen, Danielle Herman and Justin Lape, CNN For Americans who suffer from weak immune systems, it felt like a miracle occurred on December 8. That day, the US Food and Drug Administration authorized a drug to help keep immune-compromised people from getting infected with the coronavirus. But that joy quickly turned to despair

By Jen Christensen, CNN While some US teens have been vaccinated for so long that they’re now eligible for Covid-19 boosters, those under the age of 5 still haven’t gotten their first shots. The Pfizer vaccine has been authorized for children 5 and older since late October, and teens 16 and up have been eligible

By Matt Villano, CNN Long gone are the days of accessing porn only at the local magazine and video stores. Today, internet and cable television services make pornographic content available to almost anyone. A lot of internet porn is available without charge, and some graphic novels and Japanese anime have incorporated pornographic or nearly pornographic

By Travis Caldwell, Sara Sidner, Stephanie Becker and Dan Przygoda, CNN For the second year in a row, weary doctors and nurses on the front lines of the pandemic are preparing to treat hospitalized Covid-19 patients over the Christmas holiday as the highly transmissible Omicron variant drives up case counts across the United States. “It’s

By Allegra Goodwin, CNN A body positivity website has created free “Don’t Weigh Me” cards for patients who find stepping on the scale at the doctor’s office stressful. The cards, created by California-based More-Love.org, are available for free to individuals, excluding the cost of postage. There is also the option for businesses to purchase the

By Jamie Gumbrecht, Amanda Sealy and Jacqueline Howard, CNN The US Food and Drug Administration on Thursday authorized Merck’s antiviral pill, molnupiravir, to treat Covid-19 “for the treatment of mild-to-moderate coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in adults with positive results of direct SARS-CoV-2 viral testing, and who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including

By Allison Hope, CNN For those folks who may be finding that holiday cheer is even harder to come by in the pandemic’s second year, there’s no need to deck the halls. It’s time to celebrate a holiday that allows us to maintain a healthy dose of grumpiness. That’s right, there is Festivus. December 23

By Jacqueline Howard, CNN As the highly transmissible Omicron and Delta coronavirus variants continue to sweep across the United States, health officials warn that more people are expected to get infected — even those who are fully vaccinated — and they need to stay home and isolate themselves so they don’t spread the virus to

By Madeline Holcombe, CNN For many people, Covid-19 changed how they see the holiday season. Some ditched traditions to celebrate outside; some didn’t feel safe enough to travel to be with loved ones; and others may have even felt relief to have an excuse not to engage in stressful annual gatherings. This year, holiday travel

By Deidre McPhillips, CNN Covid-19 claimed hundreds of thousands of lives in the United States in 2020, driving a record increase in the death rate and a drop in life expectancy of nearly two years, according to final 2020 death data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics.

Let us beat a hasty retreat. Jump into a hole, down to a cozy warren, deep below the surface.

By Michael Nedelman, CNN The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that the Omicron coronavirus variant could drive Covid-19 cases higher than ever before, according to modeling posted on the agency’s website this week. “Current increases in Omicron cases are likely to lead to a national surge in the coming weeks with peak

By Katia Hetter, CNN As Omicron spreads rapidly throughout the United States, the new coronavirus variant has taken over from Delta as the dominant strain. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, warned on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday that Americans should brace for a difficult few weeks ahead. The Omicron

By Susannah Cullinane, CNN The impact of the Omicron coronavirus variant on a largely unboosted US population going into the holiday season will create a “perfect storm” that will challenge health care systems from coast to coast, an expert said Monday. Omicron is now the country’s most dominant strain less than three weeks after the

By David G. Allan, CNN Let us beat a hasty retreat. Jump into a hole, down to a cozy warren, deep below the surface. That’s where the wisdom of winter resides: below the surface. It is there in the warm lair where we hibernate and lay low until it’s safe to come out. But in

By Katherine Dillinger, CNN The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the first injectable medication for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to lower the risk of getting HIV through sex, it announced Monday. Apretude is approved for adults and teens who are at risk of getting HIV through sex and who weigh at least 77 pounds.

By Travis Caldwell and Claire Colbert, CNN The Omicron Covid-19 variant is now the most dominant strain in the US, accounting for over 73% of new coronavirus cases less than three weeks after the first was reported, according to estimates posted Monday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s been just 20

By Natalie Angley, CNN At first, Joann Fouquette’s son, Ezra, was hitting all the milestones. It’s what every new mom hopes for: a happy, healthy baby. But around 17 months, things started to change. He stopped speaking. He started covering his ears and hitting his head on the floor like something was bothering him. Fouquette

By Jelena Kecmanovic, CNN Just when we thought we could exhale and enjoy the holidays, the newest coronavirus variant Omicron has given us another gut punch. With this renewed uncertainty hitting when we are already depleted, it’s increasingly hard to keep calm and carry on. As a psychologist, I hear every day from my clients

By Dakin Andone and Susannah Cullinane, CNN The United States is likely in for a hard winter as the Omicron variant of Covid-19 spreads rapidly, Dr. Anthony Fauci says, straining a health care system already battered by the Delta variant. “It’s going to take over,” Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said of the

By Jen Christensen and Tara Subramaniam, CNN The lines for Covid-19 testing are long from New York to Miami-Dade County again, and good luck finding an at-home test in some parts of the country. As the Omicron variant spreads faster than any other coronavirus variant before it, the Biden White House has been pushing to

By Madeline Holcombe, CNN For as much controversy as actor Ben Affleck stirred when talking about his marriage and addiction, he also shined a light on important conversations for addicts and their loved ones, an expert said. Marital problems and addiction have a “chicken and egg” relationship, said psychologist John F. Kelly, Harvard Medical School