Health

A genetic test used to detect common traits many people share is not reliable in identifying rare disease-causing variations, such as those that can predict breast and ovarian cancer, a new study has found. The SNP test, which stands for “single nucleotide polymorphism,” is used by direct-to-consumer DNA and ancestry companies to identify common traits

Vaccine distribution in states and cities across the US are slowing down because of winter storms that have left more than a third of the continental US with below-zero temperatures Monday. The severe winter weather sparked emergency declarations in at least seven states, including Alabama, Oregon, Oklahoma, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi and Texas. Here are the

Vaccine distribution in states and cities across the US are slowing down because of winter storms that have left more than a third of the continental US with below-zero temperatures Monday. The severe winter weather sparked emergency declarations in at least seven states, including Alabama, Oregon, Oklahoma, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi and Texas. Here are the

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday defended his administration’s decision to delay releasing data on Covid-19 deaths in long-term care facilities as state lawmakers say they are considering repealing the governor’s emergency powers. Cuomo said the Department of Health had “paused” the state lawmakers’ request for the data because they prioritized a related inquiry

After a long day of working from home, Hadly Clark spends her evening hours mindlessly swiping through her phone. She powers through her usual scheduled 9:30 p.m. bedtime in favor of online shopping and social media scrolling. Before Clark knows it, the clock reads 1 a.m. She eventually dozes off and wakes up the next

Researchers said Sunday they have identified a batch of similar troubling mutations in coronavirus samples circulating in the United States. They’ve not only drawn attention to them; they’ve come up with a better shorthand for referring to them. They’ve named them after birds. The mutations all affect the same stretch of the spike protein —

An increasing number of people around the world are opting to go solo. The number of American men and women who have never been married, are divorced or are living alone has been on an upward trend for several years, according to the US Census Bureau. Despite the fact marriages or relationships are less common

On April 16, Angelina Proia was one of thousands of people tuned in to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s daily Covid-19 briefing. That day early in the pandemic, the news was encouraging; graphs flashed across the screen showing hospitalizations were down, along with ICU admissions, there were fewer deaths than the days before, and the

More than 38 million Americans have so far received at least their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine — but it’s not the vaccinations that have driven Covid-19 numbers down across the US, one expert told CNN. “It’s what we’re doing right: staying apart, wearing masks, not traveling, not mixing with others indoors,” Dr. Tom

Investigators from the World Health Organization (WHO) looking into the origins of coronavirus in China have discovered signs the outbreak was much wider in Wuhan in December 2019 than previously thought, and are urgently seeking access to hundreds of thousands of blood samples from the city that China has not so far let them examine.

A grim new forecast confirms what experts have been warning amid declining Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations: when it comes to the pandemic, the United States is not yet out of the woods. Another 130,000 Americans are projected to die of the virus over the next three and a half months, according to the latest model

Though officials and health experts say the end of the Covid-19 pandemic will rely on a large proportion of Americans being inoculated, nearly a third of US adults say they have not decided if they will get the vaccine when it is offered to them. About 31% of adults say they plan to “wait and

Who needs Valentine’s Day during a year when getting close to people means you could catch a lot more than a case of lovesick? This is the perfect year to lean into a more socially distanced and, frankly, less pressured holiday. The antidote? Embrace Galentine’s Day. Born from the ancient, mystic sitcom “Parks and Recreation,”

More retail pharmacies around the country began administering Covid-19 vaccines by appointment on Friday under a new federal program that is shipping doses directly to them. One million doses have been allocated to 6,500 pharmacies — including some CVS, Walmart, Walgreens and Rite Aid locations — in the first phase of the Federal Retail Pharmacy

Adam Bayer and his wife Traci own Hillcrest Pharmacy, located in the 11,000-person town of Vernon, Texas. It’s one of the pharmacies receiving coronavirus vaccines as part of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program that began a much-anticipated rollout this week. The Bayers are among the first in the nation to administer vaccines under the program.

As a third vaccine against Covid-19 stands ready to be evaluated by the US Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization, I feel the same awe and thrill that I did back in December when the first vaccine took that same consequential step. After reporting on the novel coronavirus for a little over a

Can vitamin C and zinc help you fight off Covid-19? No, not even at high doses, according to the first randomized clinical trial to test the two supplements under medical supervision. Despite the popular use of vitamin C and zinc to fight off or lessen the severity of viral colds and flu, the new study,

In Western culture, romantic letters have been part of Valentine’s Day since the Middle Ages. Poet Geoffrey Chaucer, best known for “The Canterbury Tales,” is credited with writing the first Valentine’s poem in 1385. The connection between chocolate and Valentine’s Day, on the other hand, is a fairly recent one by historical standards, reaching back

A once-a-week injected diabetes drug helped overweight and obese people lose an average of 15% of their body weight over 16 months, researchers reported Wednesday. The maker of the drug, called semaglutide, has asked the US Food and Drug Administration to approve it for chronic weight management. If approved, it would be only the fifth

Some say distance makes the heart grow fonder, but it also keeps you safer, according to the latest guidelines from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mail love letters, send roses or deliver chocolates, but don’t plan any in-person activities this Valentine’s Day with people outside your household. The CDC guidelines say the

Rosemary Connelly just wants to have a good time. The 92-year-old feels the day is near now she has her second dose of Covid-19 vaccine. A resident at Roosevelt Care Center in Old Bridge, New Jersey, Connelly misses her family, which includes five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, one of whom was born during the pandemic.

Americans’ perception of risk from the coronavirus is the lowest it has been since October, a new poll has found. When asked about risk to their health if we returned to normal, pre-pandemic behavior right now — while the pandemic is ongoing — 25% of respondents thought it was a small risk and 9% considered

Terri Lynn in Naples, Florida said that she had to embark on a repeat three-hour road trip for her second dose. Elsie Morales in New York said that her grandmother is still waiting for her second dose — and it’s a week overdue. Lynn and Morales are among some of the people in the United

It’s the second week in February, a time of year when influenza is usually sweeping across the country. Yet this year, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports, there’s very little influenza activity. The CDC’s map of flu activity across the US is often a sea of red during the first half of

Over 4.6 million US adults have a peanut allergy — and many of them developed the allergy in adulthood, a new study has found. Over 800,000 of those adults — over 17% — developed their allergy after turning 18 years old, according to a study published Tuesday in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

A roller coaster of research has stoked concerns that a coronavirus variant first linked to South Africa could be resistant to vaccines and raise the bar for herd immunity. But scientists and vaccine makers say the data have not yet had the final word, and there’s still reason to be hopeful. On Sunday, health officials