TimeMagazine 
More than 6 million people have died from COVID-19 worldwide, according to official counts. But the more comprehensive toll, tallying deaths directly or indirectly attributable to COVID-19, may be three times higher, according to a new study published in the Lancet. “We can confidently say that the pandemic has killed an extra 18.2 million people,” … Read more
During her time working with underserved communities in southwest Philadelphia, Maureen George encountered many unconventional asthma treatments, including the use of homemade botanical teas or tonics. “You find there’s a rich history of using these home remedies to manage asthma, in part because accessing traditional medicine has been difficult or resulted in disappointing interactions,” says … Read more
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can now regulate e-cigarettes that contain synthetic nicotine, a shift that could slash the number of vaping products available in the U.S. A spending bill, which Congress passed on March 10 and President Joe Biden is expected to sign on March 11, expanded the definition of an FDA-regulated … Read more
(BEIJING) — China on Friday ordered a lockdown of the 9 million residents of the northeastern city of Changchun amid a new spike in COVID-19 cases in the area attributed to the highly contagious omicron variant. Residents are required to remain at home, with one family member permitted to venture out to buy food and … Read more
Living with mental-health disorders is challenging enough without adding physical ailments to the mix. But recent research suggests that people with psychiatric disorders also have higher rates of Type 2 diabetes, and the combination can be devastating. “When people who have pre-existing mental illnesses develop diabetes, their outcomes are much worse,” says Anne Doherty, an … Read more
Federal officials are extending the requirement for masks on planes and public transportation for one more month—through mid-April—while taking steps that could lead to lifting the rule. The mask mandate was scheduled to expire March 18, but the Transportation Security Administration said Thursday that it will extend the requirement through April 18. TSA said the … Read more
Most of your internal organs are comfortably well protected from the outside world. But the gastrointestinal tract—or more precisely, the inside of the gastrointestinal tract—comes in contact with items from the outside world every day. The foods you eat enter the body via the mouth, travel to the stomach, where they’re partially digested, and move … Read more
Moderna, the Massachusetts-based company behind one of the two mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, made the decision in 2020 not to enforce the patent on its shot. The move was meant to encourage low- and middle-income countries that couldn’t afford to purchase billions of doses of the vaccine (as the U.S., Canada, and many European countries had … Read more
The first person to receive a heart transplant from a pig has died, two months after the groundbreaking experiment, the Maryland hospital that performed the surgery announced Wednesday. David Bennett, 57, died Tuesday at the University of Maryland Medical Center. Doctors didn’t give an exact cause of death, saying only that his condition had begun … Read more
Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo sparked controversy this week by recommending against COVID-19 vaccination for healthy children—contrary to the advice of health organizations and plenty of data that suggest the shots are safe and effective. Florida “is going to be the first state to officially recommend against the COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children,” Ladapo … Read more