September 14, 2020
How to predict the next COVID-19 hotspot? Check Google Trends, which compiles search requests by state, for areas with the highest number of searches of gastrointestinal symptoms. It works, according to a new study by Massachusetts General Hospital published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Researchers adopted the same…
September 03, 2020
Shhhhhhh! We’re trying to prevent infection here! Keeping your conversations quiet – or not having them at all! – is the latest suggestion for containing the spread of COVID-19. Dr. Jose Jimenez, a professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder who researches disease transmission, told The Atlantic that loud…
OK, kids. Today’s class is called ergonomics. We’re talking about an applied science, the study of how people work in their environment. Don’t worry. It’s not that complicated. Ever hear a teacher tell you to sit up straight in your classroom? That’s ergonomics. (Usually) We know you’re spending a lot…
No one likes wearing masks, one of the recommendations for containing the spread of the COVID-19 virus, but seeking relief with a special mask bracket only serves to diminish the covering’s effectiveness. “We’ve learned that 30 percent to 45 percent of asymptomatic or presymptomatic transmissions account for a lot of…
September 02, 2020
As desperate as the world is to conquer the deadly COVID-19 virus, a significant number of Americans have reportedly said they will not get a vaccine whenever it becomes available. According to a Yahoo News poll, 58 percent said they would not get any of the vaccines currently in development…
While Connecticut’s opioid overdose statistics seemed somewhat hopeful in 2018, widespread introduction of fentanyl reversed the trend last year and the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t finished overloading people with worries feeding addictions this year. Dr. J. Craig Allen, medical director of Rushford, part of the Hartford HealthCare Behavioral Health Network, marked…
The over-the-counter heartburn medication Pepcid might be one of the oddest answers to the COVID-19 question, with a preliminary Hartford Hospital research study showing benefit for patients with the virus. Dr. Raymond McKay, a cardiologist at the Hartford HealthCare (HHC) Heart & Vascular Institute, is the primary investigator of the…
August 27, 2020
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention slightly softened controversial new COVID-19 testing guidance Thursday with a statement suggesting tests for people exposed to the virus who do not show symptoms “may be considered.” Earlier in the week, the CDC website quietly updated recommendations to exclude asymptomatic cases. Connecticut, in a break…
The cloth mask has already secured its place in history as a hero of the COVID-19 pandemic. May history forget that this hero is also just another piece of dirty laundry that requires regular, and careful, washing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a champion of the cloth mask,…
A headache is one of the first signs of COVID-19 virus, but it’s now also being recognized as a symptom that lingers long after the illness is over. Dr. Valeriya Klats, a neurologist and headache specialist with the Hartford HealthCare (HHC) Ayer Institute Headache Center in Fairfield County, said the…
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