Elon Musk is helping to tackle the shortage of ventilators amid the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In two tweets on Monday, the SpaceX and Tesla founder, 48, shared that he recently procured 1,225 ventilators from China and had them shipped to the United States to help meet hospital demands and…
High blood pressure: Could blood pressure medications increase your risk of coronavirus?
High blood pressure, a condition whereby the force of blood pushing against your artery walls is consistently too high, is a precursor to a number of life-threatening health conditions. It is well understood that a consistently high reading can raise your risk of heart disease but evidence also links the…
New York-Presbyterian Hospitals Ban Partners in Delivery Room Due to Coronavirus Outbreak
New York-Presbyterian hospitals have banned pregnant women from having partners in the delivery room in an attempt to minimize the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The new visitor policies were posted on the hospital’s website Monday and went into effect that same day. “At this time, no visitors including birthing partners…
COVID-19: Global weekend update (March 21–22)
In this article, we highlight some of the coronavirus-related news from the weekend of March 21–22, 2020. To date, more than 340,000 people worldwide have contracted SARS-CoV-2, which is the virus that causes COVID-19. Of these, more than 14,000 have died and almost 100,000 have now recovered. In this short…
Why a one-size-fits-all approach to COVID-19 could have lethal consequences
Suppose you had the choice between two health policies, A and B. Policy A would result in the death of a lot of elderly people. Policy B would result in the death of a lot of children, especially infants. Which would you choose? Right now we are facing a choice…
Underweight diabetic patients in Singapore have increased risk of tuberculosis
“Persistent cough in underweight patients with diabetes warrants screening for active tuberculosis.” This is the message in the editorial of the December 2019 issue of the International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, based on findings from a Singapore-based study that have reported that patients with diabetes who were also…
Google launches coronavirus website with health info, educational resources
Google launched a coronavirus website Saturday featuring several resources and tips with information on the growing pandemic. The website includes information on COVID-19 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization, along with tips on how to stay safe during the crisis. “We hope these…
Expert explains how COVID-19 stacks up with the pandemics of the past
University of Virginia history professor Christian W. McMillen literally wrote the book on pandemics. The author of “Discovering Tuberculosis: A Global History, 1900 to the Present” and “Pandemics: A Very Short Introduction,” McMillen researches the history of epidemic disease, as well as American Indian history. A member of the Corcoran…
Here’s why washing your hands with soap for 20 seconds protects you from COVID-19
Scientists say that even with the best and most expensive research available, a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is at least a year away. Scientists also say that the worst enemy of the virus is that cheap soap by your sink. That’s because of simple chemistry. In…
German toilet paper calculator takes aim at virus panic-buying
The coronavirus pandemic has sent panicked shoppers across Europe into a toilet-paper buying frenzy. But how much do you really need? And what to do if the unthinkable happens and you run out? A German online calculator is here to help. At blitzrechner.de/toilettenpapier, curious users can work out how long…