Tagged as covid-19

Based on infection and mortality numbers, many people are (rightfully) concerned about contracting COVID-19 and living through the experience. But a growing number of survivors are proving there -may be more to worry about- than just survival as they are now facing long-term challenges. A condition called post-viral syndrome has many health professionals concerned. Here's what that looks like. What...
October 7, 2020
The CDC recently modified its COVID-19 testing recommendations, guiding people to get screened -after possible exposure- regardless of whether they have any symptoms of the virus. And now the president and first lady have tested positive with likely many more in their circle to follow. So are the tests accurate enough to trust? - Viral Tests - The CDC- lists two types of tests people might take if...
October 2, 2020
Silent hypoxia is an unusual manifestation of hypoxia, low oxygen saturation throughout the body, and it's been revealed as a symptom of COVID-19. Silent hypoxia happens when, for reasons still under examination, the normal cues that tell the body its oxygen levels are low don’t register. This can lead to people having dangerously low oxygen levels and no idea anything is wrong, which can turn deadly...
October 2, 2020
COVID-19 symptoms- are all over the map, with manifestations that can range from disruptive to downright deadly. The lost sense of smell some sufferers are experiencing is particularly bizarre but it's proven to be so common—with up to two-thirds of COVID-19 sufferers losing their sense of smell to some degree—that physicians frequently use it as a screening symptom for possible testing. Until recently,...
September 30, 2020
Many of us have been waiting anxiously for updates on the COVID-19 battlefront, but the news has been uncertain at best. We’re still only slightly closer to finding herd immunity than we were months ago, and though treatment has improved, slowing the death rate, the infection rate has not likewise dropped off. And recently, scientists have confirmed that reinfection may be possible under some circumstances,...
September 15, 2020
COVID-19 continues to make the rounds, and contact tracers are busy working to slow the spread. Both the CDC and the WHO have recommended that states and towns implement contact tracing to break up chains of transmission. But some are taking advantage of the situation and using it to make a buck. Along with people legitimately doing their jobs to keep people safe, scammers are finding new ways to use...
September 8, 2020
We might be lucky enough to grow up surrounded by family and friends. But eventually, whether from a move, or a loss of contact, a new school or in our first apartment, we all experience loneliness. By all accounts, loneliness is impacting many Americans in epidemic proportions. Some say ts the single greatest mental health crisis of our time. Yet we don't really seem to take it seriously as a problem. But...
August 24, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a mess from day one. One of the biggest issues has been a clear disparity between reported and actual cases, and the confusion that’s caused has only worsened the problem. Researchers have been working hard to narrow down the figures, and the implications of their findings could be huge as the COVID-19 infection rate may be much higher than previously believed. COVID-19...
August 14, 2020
This pandemic has begun to take its toll, that's for sure. But what happens when a family member tests positive? What can we do? The task of caring for someone with COVID-19 in the home can take the pandemic to a whole new level of stress. There's more to this than caring for someone with the flu. How do you keep from getting infected or keep from passing the virus along when you venture out for needed...
August 7, 2020
You may have heard reports recently about the effects of respirator masks on people who wear them all day. They paint a scary picture, one that creates an impossible choice: Leave everyone open to exposure or put everyone at risk of passing out from low oxygen levels. But it’s important to get all the facts before throwing away those masks. Some people have been promoting claims that lengthy mask use...
August 3, 2020