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FRIDAY, Dec. 10, 2021 (American Heart Association News) -- The holidays are a time to share home-cooked meals, reconnect with far-away loved ones and contemplate what the next year has in store.But for nearly two years, the coronavirus pandemic has affected our ability to safely get together in person. With vaccines now widely available in the U.S. for everyone ages 5 and up – and with federal health officials encouraging everyone 16 and older to get a booster – more and more families and friends are beginning to reach out.It may seem challenging after so many months of distancing to reestablish relationships with family and friends – and even co-workers as offices reopen. But experts say it's important for your mental and physical health."It's been a while since people have been...

FRIDAY, Dec. 10, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- The Omicron variant could prompt a reshuffling of the way doctors treat COVID infections in the United States, and antiviral pills will likely lead the way in that redoubled effort, Harvard experts say.New antiviral pills developed by Merck and Pfizer are expected to remain effective against the Omicron variant, mostly because they interfere with the ability of the coronavirus to replicate itself rather than its ability to infect human cells, the researchers noted during a media briefing this week."They target parts of the virus that are more sort of stowed away from the immune system," explained Dr. Jonathan Abraham, an assistant professor of microbiology at Harvard Medical School in Boston.Unfortunately, Omicron's mutations also mean that the...

FRIDAY, Dec. 10, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Cutting-edge mRNA technology brought safe, effective COVID-19 vaccines to a world in crisis -- could it do the same for a much older foe, HIV?An experimental HIV vaccine that uses the same mRNA platform technology as the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines shows promise in animals, a new U.S. government-led study finds. “Despite nearly four decades of effort by the global research community, an effective vaccine to prevent HIV remains an elusive goal,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci. Besides being the nation's leading adviser on infectious disease, he also directs the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), where the new research was conducted.Speaking in a NIAID news release, Fauci said, “this experimental mRNA...

FRIDAY, Dec. 10, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- The world isn't ready to prevent or deal with another pandemic because many nations aren't taking the necessary steps to prepare for what is likely an inevitable future scenario, a new report shows.The Global Health Security (GHS) index -- an assessment of preparedness for various health emergencies and problems -- is produced by the Nuclear Threat Initiative, Economist Impact and the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security at the Bloomberg School of Public Health."The 2021 GHS Index continues to show that all countries still lack some critical capacities, which hinders their ability to respond effectively to COVID-19 and reduces their preparedness for future epidemic and pandemic threats. The average country score in 2021 was 38.9 out of 100,...