Category: Health News

People with Sleep Disorders at High Risk of Severe COVID-19 Outcome

New research suggests that people who suffer from a sleep disorder have an increased risk for hospitalization and mortality caused by COVID-19. The study from Cleveland Clinic has found this relationship, noting that patients with sleep-disordered breathing and sleep-related hypoxia (sleep apnea) do not have an increased risk of developing COVID-19. Still, they do seem…


New Study Links Phthalates to Cardiovascular Disease

Phthalates are chemical compounds primarily used in plastics. Past research has identified a link between phthalates and cardiovascular disease,1 and a recent study2 has helped to identify at least one mechanism linking phthalate exposure to cardiovascular disease. A review published in 20163 showed that there was a significantly increased risk to cardiovascular disease and infertility…


CDC Vaccine Advisory Panel to Meet on Severe Condition Linked to J&J’s COVID-19 Vaccine

A panel of experts who advise the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on vaccines is meeting Thursday to discuss updates to a severe condition linked to Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine. The panel will listen to presentations by CDC officials on thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS), which U.S. drug regulators say has a “causal…


Bristol Myers Drug Wins First US Approval for Graft Versus Host Disease Prevention

Bristol Myers Squibb Co.’s Orencia on Wednesday became the first drug to win U.S. approval for the prevention of acute Graft versus Host Disease (aGvHD), a potentially fatal complication that could occur after a stem cell transplant. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the drug in combination with certain immunosuppressants for use in…


Ambulance Ramping Times Continue Upward Climb in Australian State

A new audit has revealed that Queensland’s ambulance ramping—the time it takes to transfer patients from an ambulance to the emergency department—has continued climbing “significantly” over the past five years. The audit is the latest report to highlight ongoing problems with the state’s health system, including delays for patients, and mismanagement. “In 2020–21, ambulance lost…


FDA Strengthens Warning Over Severe Condition Linked to Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 Vaccine

U.S. drug regulators this week formally strengthened a warning to Americans regarding a severe condition linked to Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine. Blood clots and low blood platelet levels, known as thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS), are now listed as a contradiction, or a medical reason for somebody not to get the shot. “Do not administer” the…


Must We Segregate the Unvaccinated From the Vaccinated?

Governments around the world have encouraged and enforced a new form of segregation based on vaccine status. This is not only dangerously inhumane; there is no scientific basis for this. There seems to be an underlying presumption here that the unvaccinated are unclean (regardless of natural immunity) and their presence will spread disease. What if, however, existing…


COVID-19 May Qualify as Disability Under ADA: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) updated its guidance on COVID-19, saying employees who have had the disease might be protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act. COVID-19 cases that persist for more than a few weeks, along with impairments caused by the virus, can be classified as disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA),…


Heart Inflammation Risk From Moderna COVID-19 Vaccination Higher Than the Disease for Those Under 40: Study

The risk of a form of heart inflammation is higher for people under 40 after receiving Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine versus contracting COVID-19, according to a new study. Researchers found 15 excess cases per 1 million people who received a second dose of the vaccine compared to 10 extra cases of myocarditis following a positive COVID-19…


Heart Inflammation Risk From Moderna Vaccine Higher Than COVID-19 for Those Under 40: Study

The risk of a form of heart inflammation is higher for people under 40 after receiving Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine versus contracting COVID-19, according to a new study. Researchers found 15 excess cases per 1 million people who received a second dose of the vaccine compared to 10 extra cases of myocarditis following a positive COVID-19…