TimeMagazine 
(ROME) — Pope Francis suggested Monday that getting vaccinated against the coronavirus was a “moral obligation” and denounced how people had been swayed by “baseless information” to refuse one of the most effective measures to save lives during the pandemic. Francis used some of his strongest words yet calling for people to get vaccinated in … Read more
It’s not easy being a superhero: They have enemies. They have monumental tasks to accomplish. They’re constantly battered. Beyond those dangers, however, they also practice several healthy behaviors that could carry them well into old age. That’s what a team of Australian researchers recently discovered, as published in the light-hearted Christmas 2021 issue of the … Read more
If you’re the parent of a tween who’s still unvaccinated for COVID-19, you’re not alone. In the United States, only 16% of kids ages 5 to 11 are fully vaccinated and 25% are partially vaccinated, according to Jan. 3 data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Now is the time to change … Read more
Hospitalizations of U.S. children under 5 with COVID-19 soared in recent weeks to their highest level since the pandemic began, according to government data released Friday on the only age group not yet eligible for the vaccine. The worrisome trend in children too young to be vaccinated underscores the need for older kids and adults … Read more
There’s yet another colorful addition to the pandemic lexicon—“flurona”—but it doesn’t refer to a new variant or even a new condition. The made-up term describes simultaneous infection with both influenza and SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The two diseases do not combine to make some hybrid form of either virus, which makes “flurona” a … Read more
The U.S. is urging that everyone 12 and older get a COVID-19 booster as soon as they’re eligible, to help fight back the hugely contagious omicron mutant that’s ripping through the country. Boosters already were encouraged for all Americans 16 and older, but Wednesday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsed an extra Pfizer … Read more
Kendra Levine’s son, Eddie, is only 5 years old, but he immediately recognized the significance of the negative result on the COVID-19 rapid tests he took at home last weekend. The tests, which were provided by the Berkeley Unified School District in California before students left for winter break, meant Eddie could return to school … Read more
Dr. Jessica Kiss, a family medicine doctor in Southern California, has answered countless questions about COVID-19 under her TikTok handle @AskDrMom during the pandemic. But one of the most surprising came on Jan. 3, which also happened to be a record-breaking day for new U.S. cases: “Should you deliberately get Omicron?” While most people have … Read more
Young children who get the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine often have mild side effects, but serious reactions are rare, according to a recent government analysis on vaccine safety in children ages 5 to 11. The data come from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), a large vaccine safety surveillance system maintained by the U.S. Centers … Read more
If viruses know no borders, they have an equal disdain for human holidays. On Thanksgiving 2021, Dr. Rochelle Walensky shut off her phone for about 45 minutes and placed the turkey on the dining table to enjoy the holiday meal with her husband and three sons. When she turned the phone back on, she found, … Read more