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WEDNESDAY, March 24, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- COVID-19 transmission is rare in schools that follow precautions such as mandatory masks, social distancing and frequent hand-washing, a new study finds.And that's true even among close school contacts of people who test positive for the new coronavirus, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis."Schools can operate safely during a pandemic when prevention strategies are followed," said study co-leader Dr. Jason Newland, a professor of pediatrics.His team conducted a pilot study that included 57 schools in St. Louis and Greene counties in southwest Missouri, as well as two private schools in St. Louis County. All required students, teachers, staff and visitors to wear masks while on campus or...

TUESDAY, March 23, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Health care workers were just as uneasy as everyone else when COVID-19 vaccines were about to be approved in the United States, with large numbers hesitant to take the shot in early December, a new study reveals.But that hesitancy dwindled over the next few weeks, as health system employees learned more about the safety and efficacy data gathered during clinical trials of the vaccines, researchers report.A survey of employees with Geisinger Health System in Pennsylvania revealed that only about 55% intended to get the COVID-19 jab when it became available.That number grew steadily throughout the month, however, as high-profile vaccine-related events spread word of the vaccine's safety and effectiveness, survey results showed.For example,...

TUESDAY, March 23, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- The United States could save thousands of lives each year by addressing its lack of enough primary care doctors, a new study projects.There has been a shortfall of U.S. primary care doctors for a long time, with much of the problem concentrated in rural areas and poverty-stricken urban centers.And the future looks bleak: A report last year from the Association of American Medical Colleges projected a shortage of up to 139,000 physicians -- many in primary care -- by 2033. It cited the aging American population, and the large number of doctors reaching retirement age, as two major factors.The new study attempted a different kind of projection: What if primary care shortages in underserved U.S. counties were alleviated?The answer: More than...

TUESDAY, March 23, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Among older Americans, deaths from falls are up sharply, dovetailing with a surge in use of medications that increase the risk of falling, researchers say.Two decades ago, about 57% of U.S. seniors took medications that increased their risk of falls. By 2017, that number had risen to 94%, and deaths caused by falls had more than doubled, a new study found.The medications are meant to limit harm from serious conditions ranging from high blood pressure to depression. So, how can patients and their doctors find the right balance?"What we're trying to stress is that it's not that any one of these drugs is necessarily 'a bad drug,'" said lead author Amy Shaver. She is a postdoctoral research fellow at the University at Buffalo School of Public...