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Italy’s sewage water shows SARS-CoV-2 present prior to reported outbreak in Wuhan

Italian researchers have found traces of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 in sewage wastewater that indicates that the virus may have been in circulation since December 2019. This controversial discovery shows that even before the first case was reported in Wuhan, China, in late December 2019, the virus had already arrived in northern Italy.

20 Jun 2020

Researchers propose new ICU admission model

The emergency triage protocol is used in catastrophic medicine situations, when the needs surpass healthcare resources, in the event of natural disasters, multiple accidents or terrorist attacks.

19 Jun 2020

Fractured skulls, lost eyes: Police often break own rules using ‘rubber bullets’

Megan Matthews thought she was dying. "I thought my head was blown off," said Matthews, 22, who was hit in the eye with a sponge-tipped projectile fired by law enforcement at a May 29 protest in Denver. "Everything was dark. I couldn't see."

19 Jun 2020

Heat may kill more people in the U.S. than previously estimated, study finds

Death records point to hundreds of U.S. deaths from heat each year, but even moderately hot weather may actually be killing thousands. This summer, COVID-19 may make it harder to stay cool.

19 Jun 2020

Injured and uninsured, protesters get medical aid from LA doctor

It wasn't Deon Jones’ fractured cheekbone or even his concussion that most worried Dr. Amir Moarefi. He was most concerned that Jones could go blind.

19 Jun 2020

Community transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in San Francisco during lockdown

Early this year, the COVID-19 outbreak began in the United States in a muted manner, simmering over a few weeks to emerge as a full-fledged epidemic in New York and other states. Now, a new study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in June 2020 reveals the pattern of community spread throughout the sheltering-in-place period in San Francisco.

19 Jun 2020

Widespread testing could help stop the spread of COVID-19

The world is now in the grips of a historic pandemic. The death toll from the novel coronavirus has climbed to more than 117,000 in the United States and 448,000 around the world.

18 Jun 2020

Regenstrief dashboard evolves to show COVID-19 trends and early warning indicators

Trends are a vital component of tracking and understanding the COVID-19 outbreak. The COVID-19 dashboard on the Regenstrief Institute website now shows data trends from across Indiana in an easy-to-understand, interactive display.

18 Jun 2020

Study examines the impact of urban density on spread of COVID-19

A new study suggests that denser places, assumed by many to be more conducive to the spread of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, are not linked to higher infection rates.

18 Jun 2020

Study: Oregon's gender-affirming health care policies are not fully realized in practice

While Oregon ranks highly nationwide for its gender-affirming policies and health care for transgender women, many of those polices are not fully realized in practice, a recent study from Oregon State University found.

18 Jun 2020

Neighborhood socioeconomic status and household crowding associated with COVID-19

A study of nearly 400 pregnant women in New York City is among the first to show that lower neighborhood socioeconomic status and greater household crowding increase the risk of becoming infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

18 Jun 2020

Throat gargling may be beneficial during the COVID-19 pandemic

Researchers from Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taiwan, have suggested that throat gargling may have beneficial effects during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

18 Jun 2020

First genome-wide CRISPR screen reveals genes that control SARS-CoV-2 infection

By performing a genome-wide CRISPR screen on the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), U.S. researchers identified novel proviral genes and pathways, and highlighted host genes that may regulate coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pathogenesis, as well as revealing potential targets for novel treatment approaches. Their findings are currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

18 Jun 2020

COVID-19 pandemic affects sexual and reproductive health of young people

Social distancing and limited access to contraceptive and abortion care during the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the sexual and reproductive health of adolescents and young adults according to a new study by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and Rutgers University.

18 Jun 2020

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: SCOTUS, Trump collide over transgender rights

Transgender people have had a head-spinning week. First, the Trump administration issued long-promised rules rolling back the Obama administration's protections against discrimination in health care.

18 Jun 2020

Study reports ominous resurgence of silicosis

A new study appearing in the journal CHEST®, published by Elsevier, documents an increased incidence of silicosis, which progressed rapidly to massive pulmonary fibrosis in a significant proportion of patients who had previously worked artificial stone (AS), also called artificial quartz agglomerate or conglomerate, a popular new countertop material, despite the cessation of exposure after diagnosis.

18 Jun 2020