Pandemic News and Research

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A pandemic is a global disease outbreak. During a pandemic, transmission can be anticipated in the workplace, not only from patient to workers in health care settings, but also among co-workers in general work settings. A pandemic would cause high levels of illness, death, social disruption, and economic loss. Everyday life would be disrupted because so many people in so many places become seriously ill at the same time. Impacts could range from school and business closings to the interruption of basic services such as public transportation and food delivery.

ADHD prescriptions surged during the COVID-19 pandemic

A study reveals COVID-19 reshaped stimulant prescribing patterns in Ontario, highlighting increased ADHD diagnoses and concerns over treatment appropriateness.

11 Mar 2026

Global study reveals how inequality limits access to exercise and why it matters for health

A global analysis of physical activity data from 68 countries shows large socioeconomic and gender inequalities in access to choice-based exercise, particularly active leisure. The study also synthesizes evidence linking physical activity to lower risks of severe infectious disease, depression, and cancer mortality, and proposes a new “physical activity for health and wellbeing” public health framework.

10 Mar 2026

Study reveals why US life expectancy gains stalled after decades of progress

A PNAS study analyzing US mortality from 1979 to 2023 reveals that life expectancy stagnation reflects both worsening outcomes in post-1950 birth cohorts and a broad mortality deterioration beginning around 2010. Cardiovascular mortality slowdowns, rising external causes, and cohort-specific patterns help explain the persistent decline in longevity gains.

10 Mar 2026

Study finds correlation between a state's sources of revenue and public-health policies

A new study in the United States finds that the more a state's budget relied on sales tax revenue, the more likely it was to shorten stay-at-home orders during the early stages of the COVID pandemic.

10 Mar 2026

More kids are in ERs for tooth pain. Trump cuts and RFK Jr.’s anti-fluoride fight aren’t helping.

Eight-year-old Jonah woke up one May morning with a swollen face and a toothache. He refused the pain medication that his mom, Geneva Reynolds, tried to give him. He didn't sleep or eat and cried constantly.

10 Mar 2026

Most pandemic viruses show little adaptation before infecting humans

A new University of California San Diego study published in Cell challenges a long-standing assumption about how animal viruses become capable of sparking human epidemics and pandemics.

9 Mar 2026

Adult stimulant prescriptions more than doubled since the start of the pandemic

New prescriptions for stimulants among adults, largely to treat ADHD, more than doubled since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in younger adults, found new research published in CMAJ.

9 Mar 2026

Newsom picks a dogfight with Trump and RFK Jr. on public health

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has positioned himself as a national public health leader by staking out science-backed policies in contrast with the Trump administration.

9 Mar 2026

Disrupted iron levels after SARS-CoV-2 infection may trigger long COVID

Problems with iron levels in the blood and the body's ability to regulate this important nutrient as a result of SARS-CoV-2 infection could be a key trigger for long COVID, new research has discovered.

6 Mar 2026

This doctor-senator who backed RFK Jr. now faces a fight for his job — and his legacy

The ambitious liver doctor would go just about anywhere in his home state to give people the hepatitis B vaccine.

6 Mar 2026

Six federal scientists run out by Trump talk about the work left undone

Marc Ernstoff, a physician who has pioneered immunotherapy research and treatments for cancer patients, said his work as a federal scientist proved untenable under the Trump administration.

6 Mar 2026

COVID-19 lockdown timing tied to changes in executive function

The COVID-19 pandemic affected executive function in young children, with preschoolers showing different cognitive growth patterns linked to maternal education.

6 Mar 2026

Building global standards for antimicrobial policy

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens human, animal, and environmental health globally. An international team from leading institutions, including the University of Edinburgh, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, North Carolina State University, and the International Centre for Antimicrobial Resistance Solutions, identifies fundamental gaps in current mathematical modelling approaches that prevent translation of science into policy, including data limitations, knowledge gaps about AMU-AMR relationships, and the absence of international coordination mechanisms similar to climate change efforts. They call for transdisciplinary collaboration to build integrated modelling architectures.

6 Mar 2026

Virtual mental health visits show little impact on rural care access

During the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health specialists started using telemedicine much more frequently.

5 Mar 2026

Researchers identify immune markers linked to cognitive decline after viral infections

What impact does a viral infection have on our memory, attention, and concentration? The COVID-19 pandemic has reignited interest in this question, which has now been extended to other infections such as HIV, herpes, and hepatitis.

5 Mar 2026

Long COVID taste loss tied to reduced expression of key taste genes

The study identifies molecular changes in taste receptor cells as a potential cause of persistent taste dysfunction in long COVID-19, impacting quality of life.

5 Mar 2026

Newer nurses face the highest risk of developing moral injury symptoms

Moral injury remains prevalent among critical care nurses, with newer nurses at the highest risk of developing symptoms, according to new research published in American Journal of Critical Care.

4 Mar 2026

Covid lockdowns slowed executive function growth in young children

The Covid pandemic disrupted children's ability to self-regulate - according to new research from the University of East Anglia.

3 Mar 2026

Substance use among healthcare workers linked to poorer patient care

Their job is to protect, promote, and restore human health and lives, but healthcare workers believe that their own use of alcohol and illegal drugs reduces the quality of care they provide to patients.

3 Mar 2026

Research suggests new therapeutic targets for broad-spectrum antiviral drugs

Coronaviruses not only use the machinery of the human cells they infect: they modify it to achieve optimal conditions to produce viral proteins and thus spread more quickly. This is the main conclusion of a study by Pompeu Fabra University published in Nature Communications.

3 Mar 2026