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TUESDAY, June 9, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. center hardest hit by COVID-19 isn't headline-grabbing New York City; it's the Navajo Nation in the American southwest. About the size of West Virginia and situated on 27,000 square miles of land spread across Arizona, Utah and New Mexico, Navajo Nation is home to approximately 175,000 people. It's also home to a coronavirus infection rate of more than 3.4% and more than 6,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to the Navajo Nation Department of Health. By comparison, New York state has an infection rate of 1.9%. "This virus didn't originate on the Navajo Nation," said Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez. "But we got hit pretty hard." How did this happen? One big issue is a lack of infrastructure that was a problem long...

TUESDAY, June 9, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- The latest cancer prevention guidelines may change your typical backyard barbecue: Gone are the hot dogs and booze. In are veggie kebobs and maybe a swim or some badminton. The American Cancer Society's new cancer prevention recommendations suggest, among other things, adding more physical activity to your days. About 20 minutes a day is the minimum, but 40 minutes or more daily is even better. The new guidelines also add emphasis on avoiding unhealthy foods, including red and processed meats, refined grains and alcohol. "The new recommendations really increase emphasis on a few key areas [including healthy weight and diet, physical activity, and avoiding or limiting alcohol]," said Dr. Laura Makaroff, senior vice president of...

TUESDAY, June 9, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- A new analysis shows that parts of the country that had been spared the worst of the coronavirus pandemic are now tallying record-high cases of new infections. Since the start of June, 14 states and Puerto Rico have recorded their highest seven-day average of new coronavirus cases since the pandemic began, data tracked by the Washington Post shows: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Kentucky, New Mexico, North Carolina, Mississippi, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah. At the same time, new predictions from the University of Washington in Seattle show the U.S. coronavirus death toll could now hit 145,000 by August, NBC News reported Tuesday. If the prediction bears out, it would mean 30,000 more deaths would occur...

MONDAY, June 8, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Blood pressure drugs help even the most frail elderly live longer, and older people who are healthier get the biggest benefit, Italian researchers say. "We knew that high blood pressure medication was protective in general among older people, however, we focused on whether it is also protective in frail patients with many other medical conditions who are usually excluded from randomized trials," said lead author Dr. Giuseppe Mancia, professor emeritus at the University of Milano-Bicocca in Milan. For the study, his team collected data from more than one million people aged 65 and older in northern Italy who had received three or more blood pressure medication prescriptions. The investigators also looked at the outcomes of older people with...