Latest Health News

TUESDAY, Dec. 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- New York City mom and author Lyss Stern spends most of her weekdays trying to help her three children learn remotely, and things are not going smoothly for any of them."There are a lot of moving parts, and I feel like I am constantly being an octopus," she said. "Are they learning enough? Are they challenged? Are missed assignments piling up? Are they looking at TikTok on their phone under their desk when they should be learning?"Stern has become more anxious and stressed out than ever before, and she is far from alone. Many parents were forced to become "proxy educators" for their children without adequate training as schools transitioned to distance learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic.In a new study, researchers analyzed data from over...

TUESDAY, Dec. 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- In very rare cases, some people have had severe allergic reactions after receiving the new COVID-19 vaccines, leading the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI) to issue updated guidance for Americans with allergies.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given emergency use authorization to COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.The ACAAI's COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force offers guidance on the risk of an allergic reaction from the vaccines.In general, reactions to vaccines are rare, and the incidence of severe allergic reaction ("anaphylaxis") is estimated at 1.31 per 1 million doses given to patients, according to the ACAAI.The mRNA COVID-19 vaccines should be given in a setting where anaphylaxis can be...

TUESDAY, Dec. 22, 2020 (Healthday News) -- As Congress passed a $900 billion pandemic relief package on Monday, U.S. experts warned that a new, more infectious variant of the coronavirus recently discovered in Britain may already be circulating in this country.The relief bill will authorize direct payments of $600 to any American who made less than $75,000 in the last tax year, the Washington Post reported, with checks arriving as early as next week. Enhanced unemployment benefits will also be extended, and businesses will benefit from $325 billion in economic relief under the bill.Seeking to reassure a troubled nation, President-Elect Joe Biden received the first dose of the two-dose Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on Monday. He did so live on television at ChristianaCare Hospital in Newark,...

TUESDAY, Dec. 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Despite more Americans saying they know someone who's been sickened or even died from COVID-19, there's been a decline in the percentage who say they always wear a mask when they leave their home.Two-thirds (66%) of U.S. adults surveyed in a new HealthDay/Harris Poll said they "always" donned a mask when leaving their home and weren't able to socially distance, compared with 72% in a poll conducted in October. The proportion of Americans who now say they wear a mask outside the home is edging closer to the 61% reported in an August survey conducted by The Harris Poll.The new poll of 2,027 adults aged 18 and older was conducted online from Dec. 8 to 10 by The Harris Poll.The decline in mask wearing is surprising, given that the same poll finds...