Clinical

Widespread vaccination is being credited for helping Israel reduce its rate of COVID-19 infection, with the crowning achievement being a day free of deaths attributed to the virus for the first time since last June. That same day, only 0.04% of tests administered turned up positive. Just days before, the country passed the 5 million mark in vaccinations, meaning nearly 54% of the population—and 80% of those over age 16—had gotten at least one COVID-19 …

Cases of influenza for the 2021–21 season were roughly 1% of what we’ve seen in the U.S. over the past few years (just 2,000 cases between September 2020 and April 2021, vs the typical 200,000-plus), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Much of the credit is being given to precautions taken because of the COVID-19 pandemic. While wearing masks, ratcheting up our attention to everyday hygiene, and social distancing helped us ward …

It’s a vast overstatement to say that the COVID-19 crisis has passed, but at this point enough study has been done for the National Institutes of Health to look more deeply into outpatient management, rather than to view every case as imminently life-threatening. The latest update even includes a section entitled Outpatient Management of Acute COVID-19. Read it and you will find recommendations for screening, triage, and therapeutic management of patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 who …

It was presumed last spring that restricted movements, isolation, and fear over a deadly disease would have a deleterious effect on the mental health of many Americans. That concern has now been validated in the form of a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which shows that the number of adults who reported recent symptoms of anxiety or a depressive disorder jumped 5% (from 36.4% to 41.5%) between August 2020 and February …

Reports of blood clots and a “pause” in administering one COVID-19 vaccine in the United States have strengthened some people’s resolve to hold off on getting a shot. The irony—and danger—of this stance has been made very clear in a study just released by the University of Oxford. According to the paper, risk for cerebral venous thrombosis due to COVID-19 infection is actually “many-fold” higher than it is from receiving the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine or the …

Results of efforts to get Americans vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus have been mixed. While New Mexico has administered at least one dose to roughly 78% of its population, Alabama has only done so with 47% of its residents, according to the COVID Data Tracker on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website. While there have been issues with rollout in many states, March data from the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Vaccine Monitor show 20% …

For the sixth year in a row, cases of sexually transmitted diseases eclipsed previously historic numbers in the United States, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis all grew in 2019, adding up to 2.5 million cases, capping a nearly 30% increase over a 5-year period. Perhaps most disturbing is the fact that congenital syphilis nearly quadrupled during that time. Despite treatment options, STDs …

Spring weather is a signal to get back outside after a long winter of cabin fever, especially given lockdowns associated with the pandemic. But it also signals the beginning of tick season—and with it, a return of patients seeking assessment and treatment for bites that could cause Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses. COVID-19 actually complicates this, as well, in that some of the symptoms associated with Lyme disease (such as fever, fatigue, muscle aches, …

While the belief that children can’t be severely affected by COVID-19 has been debunked among healthcare providers, questions remain as to why some children really do get through the virus unscathed while others experience severe disease. A study just published by JAMA Network reveals that certain demographic and clinical characteristics may offer some clues. Looking at discharge data from 869 medical facilities that reported inpatient and emergency room encounters to the Premier Healthcare Database Special …

Recent reports concerning blood clots in six women who received the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine have moved the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration to recommend a “pause” in administering that vaccine. The news garnered headlines and “breaking news” bulletins among the mainstream media and lit up social media chats. As such, it’s likely that some patients will present with concerns that having received a COVID-19 vaccine somehow …