Health News

Hospitals are full but parts of Idaho refuse masks
Rising Idaho cases highlight virus' latest target
Hospitals in crisis as US nears high COVID cases
US sets coronavirus infection record; deaths near 224,000
US suicide rate falls after decade of steady rise
Wisconsin admits 1st patient to field hospital
Poland's President Duda tests positive for COVID
Czech Republic sets daily record of 15,000 cases
Trump vaccine adviser: Immunization is coming

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43 minutes ago

Asia Today: Sri Lanka closes harbors after 609 test positive

Authorities in Sri Lanka have closed at least two fishery harbors and many stalls after a surge of 609 cases linked to the country’s main fish market
43 minutes ago
Vendors arrange flowers at a wholesale flower market ahead of the Hindu festival of Dussehra, in Bengaluru, India, Friday, Oct. 23, 2020. Health officials have warned about the potential for the coronavirus to spread during the upcoming religious festival season, which is marked by huge gatherings in temples and shopping districts. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
43 minutes ago

No escaping from Wales: UK police to enforce travel ban

A police force in England says it will try to stop people from leaving Wales, which has started a 17-day lockdown to slow a surging rate of coronavirus infections
43 minutes ago
A matrix sign on the A48(M) heading towards Cardiff informing motorists to Wales entering a "firebreak" lockdown, Friday, Oct. 23, 2020. A police force in England says it will try to stop people from leaving Wales, which has started a 17-day lockdown to slow the spread of COVID-19. The Gloucestershire Constabulary says it will patrol routes from Wales and pull over drivers they believe are making long journeys. Travelers without a good excuse will be asked to turn around. (Ben Birchall/PA via AP)
1 hour ago

Poland's President Duda tests positive for coronavirus

Poland’s President Andrzej Duda has tested positive for coronavirus
1 hour ago
File—File picture taken June 28, 2020 shows Poland's President Andrzej Duda casting his vote during presidential election in Krakow, Poland. Duda was tested positive on Corona. (AP Photo/Beata Zawrzal, file)
7 minutes ago

Czech Republic sets daily record of 15,000 cases

The United States has hit a daily record of coronavirus cases with more than 83,000 reported infections, thousands more than the previous U.S. peak in July
7 minutes ago
A vendor closes his cured ham shop in a market in Barcelona, Spain, Friday, Oct. 23, 2020. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
2 hours ago

US sets coronavirus infection record; deaths near 224,000

The U.S. coronavirus caseload has reached record heights with more than 83,000 infections reported in a single day
2 hours ago
Salt Lake County Health Department public health nurse Lee Cherie Booth performs a coronavirus test outside the Salt Lake County Health Department on Friday, Oct. 23, 2020, in Salt Lake City. Utah hit another ominous record by tallying the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases in a single day as the state struggles to slow a monthlong surge of COVID-19 that is filling intensive care beds at hospitals. Gov. Gary Herbert warned in a statement that the state is "on the brink," and once again pleaded with people to adhere to mask mandates in place in most counties in the state. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
October 23

The Latest: Mexico's Chihuahua border state back in lockdown

Mexico’s northern border state of Chihuahua has returned to the highest level of alert and lockdown after coronavirus cases jumped there and hospitals began to fill up
October 23
FILE - Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks during a parliamentary session in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday Oct. 21, 2020. Sánchez is appealing for Spaniards to pull together and defeat the new coronavirus, warning: “The situation is serious.” Sanchez, in a televised address to the nation Friday, acknowledged public fatigue with restrictions to contain the spread of COVID-19. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, Pool)
October 23

Can vitamin D help fight COVID-19?

Former trauma surgeon Dr. L. Ray Matthews discusses research looking into the potential impact of vitamin D in the fight against the coronavirus.
October 23
VIDEO: Can vitamin D help fight COVID-19?
October 23

Some hospitals in crisis as US nears high for COVID-19 cases

The impact is being felt in every section of the country.
October 23
FILE - In this Oct. 20, 2020, file photo, transportation Security Administration personnel and travelers observe COVID-19 transmission prevention protocols at John F. Kennedy International Airport in the Queens borough of New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
October 23

Appeals court stays Wisconsin limits on gatherings

A Wisconsin appeals court has put a hold on Gov. Tony Evers’ restrictions on indoor public gatherings
October 23
October 23

Dutch hospital airlifts patients to Germany amid virus surge

A bright yellow helicopter has flown a COVID-19 patient from the Netherlands to a German intensive care unit, the first such airlift since the pandemic first threatened to swamp Dutch hospitals
October 23
A COVID-19 patient is being carried into a helicopter at Flevoziekenhuis, or FlevoHospital, in Almere, Netherlands, Friday, Oct. 23, 2020. In the latest sign of the scale of the coronavirus pandemic sweeping across Europe, a helicopter is scheduled to start airlifting COVID-19 patients from the Netherlands to an intensive care unit in the German city of Muenster.(AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
October 23

Wisconsin appeals court stays Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' coronavirus limits on indoor public gatherings pending appeal

Wisconsin appeals court stays Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' coronavirus limits on indoor public gatherings pending appeal
October 23
October 23

AstraZeneca, J&J resuming US tests of COVID-19 vaccines

Two drugmakers say they have the go-ahead to resuming U.S. testing of their COVID-19 vaccine candidates
October 23
FILE - In this Wednesday, June 24, 2020 file photo, a volunteer receives an injection at the Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital in Soweto, Johannesburg, as part of Africa's first participation in a COVID-19 vaccine trial developed at the University of Oxford in Britain in conjunction with the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. On Friday, Oct. 23, 2020, AstraZeneca Inc. announced that the Food and Drug Administration is letting it resume testing of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate in the U.S. (Siphiwe Sibeko/Pool via AP)
October 23

Polish police: 15 detained after abortion ban protest

Protesters vented anger for a second day across Poland over a court ruling that declared abortions of fetuses with congenital defects unconstitutional
October 23
A police cordon guards the house of Poland's ruling conservative party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski against a crowd protesting a decision by the Constitutional Court, in Warsaw, Poland, on Friday, Oct. 23, 2020. Poland’s top court ruled Thursday that a law allowing abortion of fetuses with congenital defects is unconstitutional, shutting a major loophole in the predominantly Catholic country's abortion laws that are among the strictest in Europe. Defying the pandemic-related ban on gatherings, the protesters chanted for the government to resign. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
October 23

Rising infections in Idaho highlight the virus' latest target: Rural America

Many rural communities lost their hospital in recent years.
October 23
Ashley Layton, an LPN at St. Luke's Meridian Medical Center, communicates with a person exhibiting symptoms before taking swab sample at a special outdoor drive-thru screening station for coronavirus COVID-19, March 17, 2020, in Meridian, Idaho.
October 23

Hospitalization data flawed in Missouri, perhaps elsewhere

With the number of coronavirus patients requiring hospitalization rising at alarming levels, Missouri and perhaps a handful of other states are unable to post accurate data on COVID-19 dashboards because of a flaw in the federal reporting system
October 23
FILE - In this April 16, 2020 file photo, registered medical assistant Elaine Lomax handles a nasal swab specimen after it was collected at a drive-thru COVID-19 testing site in St. Louis. With the number of coronavirus patients requiring hospitalization rising at alarming levels, Missouri and perhaps at least a handful of other states are unable to post accurate data on COVID-19 dashboards because of a flaw in the federal reporting system. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson File)
October 23

Walmart sues US in pre-emptive strike in opioid abuse battle

Walmart is suing the U.S. government in a pre-emptive strike in the battle over its responsibility in the opioid abuse crisis
October 23
FILE - In this Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2020, file photo, signage is pictured at a Walmart store in Oklahoma City. On Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020, Walmart filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government in a pre-emptive strike in the battle over its responsibility in the opioid abuse crisis. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)
October 23

In video classes teachers parse clues to student wellbeing

The shift from in-person to remote learning is giving some teachers unprecedented video access into their students’ homes
October 23
October 23

France surpasses 1 million confirmed virus cases amid spike

French health authorities say France has recorded over 1 million confirmed coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic, becoming the second country in Western Europe after Spain to reach that number of known infections
October 23
French President Emmanuel Macron chairs a meeting with the medical staff of the Rene Dubos hospital center, in Pontoise, outside Paris, Friday Oct. 23, 2020. French Prime Minister Jean Castex said Thursday a vast extension of the nightly curfew that is intended to curb the spiraling spread of the coronavirus, saying "the second wave is here." The curfew imposed in eight regions of France last week, including Paris and its suburbs, is being extended to 38 more regions and Polynesia, (Photo by Ludovic Marin, Pool via AP)
October 23

French health authorities say France has reached over 1 million confirmed virus cases amid pandemic's second wave

French health authorities say France has reached over 1 million confirmed virus cases amid pandemic's second wave
October 23
October 23

US suicide rate fell last year after decade of steady rise

The U.S. suicide rate fell slightly last year, the first annual decline in more than a decade
October 23
FILE - This Dec. 11, 2019 file photo shows gravestones at a cemetery in New Jersey. The U.S. suicide death rate fell slightly in 2019, the first annual decline in more than a decade, according to new government data. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
October 23

Spain PM appeals for public unity, sacrifice in virus fight

Spanish Prime Minster Pedro Sánchez is appealing for Spaniards to pull together and defeat the new coronavirus, warning: “The situation is serious.”
October 23
People walk past a restaurant closed due to the sharp resurgence of coronavirus cases, in Barcelona, Spain, Friday, Oct. 23, 2020. Spain has reported 1 million confirmed infections — the highest number in Western Europe — and at least 34,000 deaths from COVID-19, although experts say the number is much higher since many cases were missed because of testing shortages and other problems. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
October 23

School districts face hard choices amid pandemic-era cuts

The school year in Schenectady, New York, started with a whack of a budget ax
October 23
Kristina Negron poses for a photograph Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020, in Schenectady, N.Y. Negron was laid off from her job as an aide for a special education class at Schenectady High School due to budget cuts. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink)
October 23

Czech health minister breaks virus rules, asked to resign

The Czech Republic’s prime minister has called on his health minister to resign or be fired after he broke strict government restrictions to slow a record surge of coronavirus infections and visited a Prague restaurant
October 23
FILE - In this March 15, 2020 file photo, Deputy Minister of Health Roman Prymula addresses a press conference after the government talks on new measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus in Prague, Czech Republic. Prymula will be the new Czech Health Minister, replacing Adam Vojtech (for ANO), who announced his resignation on Monday, Sept. 21, 2020. (AP Photo via CTK/Ondrej Deml)
October 23

Asia Today: Vaccine promise is election issue in India state

A promise of free COVID-19 vaccination has become an issue in key state elections in India
October 23
An employee wearing a face mask to help protect against the spread of the coronavirus arranges dolls at a shop in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020. The steady spread of the coronavirus caused concern in a country that eased its social distancing restrictions just last week to cope with a weak economy. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
October 23

French woman in Thailand may have acquired virus locally

Health officials in Thailand say a French woman on the resort island of Samui has tested positive for the coronavirus and probably acquired it after arriving in Thailand in what could be one of few cases of local transmission
October 23
Sailboats sit anchored off Choeng Mon beach on the resort island of Koh Samui, Thailand, on Oct. 15, 2020. Thai Health officials said Friday, Oct. 23, 2020 a French woman who traveled to the resort island on the same day and later tested positive for the coronavirus there probably acquired the infection after arriving in Thailand. (AP Photo/Adam Schreck)
October 23

HBCUs face pushback trying to diminish distrust in the medical community

Calls to join vaccine trials have been met with criticism.
October 23
Nurse Kathe Olmstead prepares a shot that is part of a possible COVID-19 vaccine, developed by the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc., in Binghamton, N.Y., July 27, 2020.
October 23

Hospitals are full but some parts of Idaho refuse mask rules

Members of an Idaho health department board have voted to repeal a local mask mandate despite hearing a hospital was overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients
October 23
FILE - In this Sept. 18, 2020 file photo Gov. Brad Little makes a COVID announcement plan during a press conference at the Joe R. Williams Building in Boise, Idaho. Moments after hearing their regional hospital was overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients and looking at sending people as far away as Seattle for care, members of Idaho's northernmost health department board voted to repeal the local mask mandate. (Darin Oswald/Idaho Statesman via AP, File)
October 22

The Latest: Cases in Germany spike past 10K in new record

The U.N. chief says it’s “very frustrating” that leaders of the 20 major industrialized nations didn’t come together in March and establish a coordinated response to the coronavirus as he proposed
October 22
Disco and dance club operators stage a protest against government's order for them to close in order to curb the spread of coronavirus, in Rome Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020. Authorities in regions including Italy's three largest cities have imposed curfews in a bid to slow the spread of COVID-19 where it first struck hard in Europe, most of whose countries are now imposing, or mulling, new restrictions to cope with rapidly rising caseloads. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
October 22

Hospitals are full but some parts of Idaho refuse mask rules

Members of an Idaho health department board have voted to repeal a local mask mandate despite hearing a hospital was overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients
October 22
FILE - In this Sept. 18, 2020 file photo Gov. Brad Little makes a COVID announcement plan during a press conference at the Joe R. Williams Building in Boise, Idaho. Moments after hearing their regional hospital was overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients and looking at sending people as far away as Seattle for care, members of Idaho's northernmost health department board voted to repeal the local mask mandate. (Darin Oswald/Idaho Statesman via AP, File)
October 22

Poland's top court rules out abortions due to fetal defects

Poland’s top court ruled Thursday that a law allowing abortion of fetuses with congenital defects is unconstitutional, toughening the predominantly Catholic country’s abortion laws that are among Europe's strictest
October 22
Anti-abortion activists attend a protest in front of Poland's constitutional court, in Warsaw, Poland, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020. Poland’s top court has ruled that a law allowing abortion of fetuses with congenital defects is unconstitutional. The decision by the country’s Constitutional Court effectively bans terminating pregnancies in cases where birth defects are found and will further limit access to abortions in Poland. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
October 22

FDA approves first COVID-19 drug: antiviral remdesivir

U.S. regulators have approved the first drug to treat COVID-19
October 22
FILE - In this March 2020 photo provided by Gilead Sciences, rubber stoppers are placed onto filled vials of the investigational drug remdesivir at a Gilead manufacturing site in the United States. Given through an IV, the medication is designed to interfere with an enzyme that reproduces viral genetic material. (Gilead Sciences via AP)
October 22

Wisconsin admits 1st patient to field hospital, reports record COVID-19 deaths

90% ICU beds are full in some areas of the state.
October 22
An overhead view shows a field hospital known as an Alternate Care Facility set up at the state fair ground near Milwaukee, Wis., as cases of COVID-19 spike in the state, Oct. 12, 2020.
October 22

FDA approves remdesivir, the first drug for treating COVID-19.

FDA approves remdesivir, the first drug for treating COVID-19.
October 22
October 22

Officials prepare to faceoff over masks as Kansas cases rise

Kansas’ coronavirus case count continued to climb, even as one GOP lawmaker pushed back against Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s call for a statewide mask mandate
October 22
October 22

French PM says 2nd virus wave is here, vastly extends curfew

France's prime minister has announced a vast extension of the nightly curfew that is intended to curb the spiraling spread of the coronavirus
October 22
A man wearing a face mask crosses the Bidassoa river between France and Spain at Behobie, southwestern France, Thursday, Oct.22, 2020. France has seen over 34,000 confirmed deaths in the pandemic. (AP Photo/Bob Edme)
October 22

Iowa's use of pandemic aid for 2nd IT project draws scrutiny

Iowa plans to use millions of dollars in federal pandemic funds on a long-term plan to improve data management across state agencies, a second information technology project that may not fit the purpose of the aid
October 22
FILE - In this Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020, file photo, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds updates the state's response to the coronavirus outbreak during a news conference in Johnston, Iowa. Iowa is planning to use millions of dollars in federal pandemic funds on a long-term plan to improve data management across state agencies, a second information technology project that may not fit the purpose of the aid. State and federal auditors this week told Iowa’s executive branch to return millions of dollars to the state’s $1.25 billion coronavirus relief fund that have been spent on new accounting and human resources software. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)
October 22

Europe faces more curfews, restrictions as virus cases swell

Curfews have been vastly expanded in France, which has added 41,600 new coronavirus infections in one day, and similar nighttime crackdowns loomed in Italy, including for Rome, Naples and Milan
October 22
A journalist takes a picture of beds prepared in a field hospital, which will function as a backup device for patients with coronavirus, in the Letnany neighbourhood at the Prague outskirts, Czech Republic, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020. (AP Photo via CTK/Roman Vondrous) SLOVAKIA OUT
October 22

Women diagnosed with breast cancer amid COVID-19 stress importance of mammograms

"Breast cancer loves the woman who is too busy," survivor Jennifer Grannis said.
October 22
Jennifer Gordon, seen here in this undated photo, shares her breast cancer story on "The View," Oct. 22, 2020.
October 22

UK expert: Racism not to blame for minorities' COVID risk

A scientist newly appointed as an advisor to the British government has expressed skepticism about focusing on the role of structural racism in the disproportionate effect that the coronavirus has on ethnic minority groups
October 22
October 22

In video classes teachers parse clues to student wellbeing

The shift from in-person to remote learning is giving some teachers unprecedented video access into their students’ homes
October 22
October 22

WHO Africa: New rapid tests a 'game changer' against COVID

Health officials in Africa say the rollout of rapid diagnostic tests for COVID-19 could be a “game changer” for their fight against the coronavirus
October 22
FILE - In this Friday, Feb. 1, 2019 file photo, Matshidiso Moeti, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, speaks to the media at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. Health officials in Africa say the rollout of new rapid diagnostic tests for COVID-19 could be a “game-changer” for its fight against the coronavirus, while warning that increased testing could also drive up numbers for a continent that has seen a decline or a plateauing in confirmed cases — at a time when the West has seen case counts soar. “African countries are gearing up to introduce antigen-based rapid diagnostic tests on a large scale, and this will be a game changer, we think, in the fight against COVID-19,” said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti. (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP, file)
October 22

Poland’s top court rules that law allowing abortion of fetuses with congenital defects is unconstitutional

Poland’s top court rules that law allowing abortion of fetuses with congenital defects is unconstitutional
October 22
October 22

Stressing freedom, vaccine opponents rebranding in virus era

Vaccine opponents have long been undergoing a rebranding effort to shift their messaging toward the promotion of civil liberties
October 22
October 22

Funnel cakes to go: Drive-thru fair draws thousands in SC

Organizers say thousands of people turned out for a drive-thru fair in South Carolina
October 22
FILE - In this July 29, 2020 file photo, South Carolina's fairgrounds sit mostly empty in Columbia, S.C. Organizers say thousands of people turned out to peer at agricultural exhibits from their car windows and grab to-go funnel cakes at a drive-thru fair in South Carolina. The more than 150-year-old South Carolina State Fair couldn't go off as normal this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, so organizers devised a drive-thru version that was held Tuesday, Oct. 20 and Wednesday in Columbia. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)
October 22

Spain lawmakers set to reject far-right no-confidence motion

Spanish lawmakers on Thursday overwhelmingly rejected a no-confidence motion called by the far-right party Vox against Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and his left-wing coalition over their handling of the coronavirus pandemic
October 22
Vox party leader Santiago Abascal walks past Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, left and 2nd Deputy Prime Minister Pablo Iglesias during a parliamentary session in Madrid, Spain, Thursday Oct. 22, 2020. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is facing a no-confidence vote in parliament brought by the nation's far-right Vox party. (Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Pool via AP)
October 22

Former Belgian PM in intensive care with COVID-19

Belgian Foreign Minister and former Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes has been hospitalized in intensive care with the coronavirus
October 22
FILE - In this Monday, Oct. 12, 2020 file photo, Belgium's Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmes, left, speaks with Sweden's Foreign Minister Ann Linde during a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Luxembourg. Former Belgian Prime minister Sophie Wilmes has been hospitalized in intensive care after getting infected with the coronavirus. The 45-year-old Wilmes, who was admitted to hospital on Wednesday evening Oct. 21, said last week she thought she got infected within her family circle. (Jean-Christophe Verhaegen, Pool via AP, File)
October 22

California theme park closures hit jobs, shops, budget

California’s amusement parks have been pining to reopen for months, hoping to bring back thousands of workers sent home in March when the coronavirus pandemic forced them to close their gates
October 22
October 22

Asia Today: Sri Lanka closes fish market, expands curfew

Sri Lanka’s main fish market has been closed and a curfew widened as a COVID-19 outbreak grows
October 22
A Sri Lankan police officer stands guard as health officers collect swab samples from rail commuters to test for COVID-19 at a railway station in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Monday, Oct. 12, 2020. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)
October 21

The Latest: Sri Lanka orders more curfews over virus cluster

Authorities in Sri Lanka have closed the country’s main fish market and widened the curfew in many parts of the island nation following a surge of coronavirus infections tied to a new cluster centered on a garment factory
October 21
A youth attends a teachers' demonstration for higher pay in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020. Some health workers also joined the protest and complained about their salaries of about $4 dollars a month, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers earn about $2 dollars a month. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
October 21

Whitmer: Michigan at 'dangerous moment' as virus cases spike

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is warning that Michigan on average has more confirmed daily cases of the coronavirus than ever, noting a sharp increase since the state Supreme Court invalidated her sweeping orders earlier this month
October 21
In this photo provided by the Michigan Office of the Governor, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer addresses the state during a speech in Lansing, Mich., Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020. The governor is warning that Michigan has more confirmed cases of the coronavirus than ever, noting a sharp increase since the state Supreme Court invalidated her sweeping orders earlier this month. Since the court decision on Oct. 2, the seven-day case average is up to 1,818 — nearly double. (Michigan Office of the Governor via AP)
Amira Hassan, of Burnsville, Minn., plays in the waiting room at the specialty clinic at Children's Minnesota in Minneapolis, May 2, 2017. Hassan went to the hospital's clinic for a routine wellness check, but had to wear a mask to protect her from measles after an outbreak has sickened more than 30 children in Minnesota.
Amira Hassan, of Burnsville, Minn., plays in the waiting room at the specialty clinic at Children's Minnesota in Minneapolis, May 2, 2017. Hassan went to the hospital's clinic for a routine wellness check, but had to wear a mask to protect her from measles after an outbreak has sickened more than 30 children in Minnesota.
In Minnesota's worst measles outbreak, a battle of beliefs over vaccines
May 04
Amy Forliti/AP Photo
A doctor talks to an older patient in this undated photo.
A doctor talks to an older patient in this undated photo.
What patients need to know about new recommendations for prostate cancer screening
Apr 11
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