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SUNDAY, May 10, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- As U.S. coronavirus cases topped 1.3 million and the death toll climbed to nearly 79,000 on Sunday, three of the nation's top health officials said they plan to quarantine themselves to some degree after being exposed to two White House aides who were diagnosed with COVID-19. Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, and Stephen Hahn, commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, both said on Saturday they will self-quarantine and telework for two weeks, the Washington Post reported. And a spokesperson for Dr. Anthony Fauci said Saturday night that he will take precautions that will include "a mix of teleworking and wearing a mask during in-person meetings." All three are members of the...

SUNDAY, May 10, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Asking your child to mow the lawn is a risky proposition, a new study suggests. About 9,400 American kids are injured by lawn mowers each year, and mowers cause 12% to 29% of all traumatic amputations among them, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Toe and foot amputations are the most common. "Lawn mower injuries are largely preventable, but despite increased awareness, my colleagues and I continue to see a significant number of cases from May through October, some of which can be truly devastating," said study senior author Dr. Theodore Ganley, an orthopedic surgeon at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. His team analyzed data on more than 1,300 patients under age 18 who were treated for lawn mower injuries at 49...

SATURDAY, May 9, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- With U.S. coronavirus cases topping 1.2 million and the death toll climbing to more than 77,000 on Saturday, the federal government's monthly jobs report showed a staggering 14.7 percent of Americans are now unemployed. A total of 20.5 million jobs were lost during the April lockdown, and not since the Great Depression has the unemployment rate been so high, The New York Times reported on Friday. That was not the only bad economic news delivered this week: On Thursday, the weekly jobless claims report showed that another 3.2 million jobless claims were filed last week. That brought the total unemployed since the nation's economy was first curtailed by social distancing measures in mid-March to a historic 33 million. Meanwhile, numerous...

SATURDAY, May 9, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- As pandemic-related restrictions ease and people return to parks and other outdoor spaces, remember to protect yourself against another threat -- ticks. "With our latest mild winter, ticks have been active in much of the region on warmer days all winter long," said Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann, an entomologist at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., who said it's too soon to predict population trends for 2020. She added that it is clear, however, that ticks are expanding their geographic range and moving into colder regions. That's why it's important to know how to recognize them, take preventive steps and do a tick check each time you venture out. "Although ticks aren't everywhere, they can be anywhere so be aware of your surroundings,"...