Health | Common News Update

Mar72021 by adminNo Comments

Covid-19: Vaccine offers for all those aged 56 or over

EPAPeople aged 56 to 59 in England are being invited to book their coronavirus vaccine from this week. Letters for people in the age group, offering them the vaccine, started being delivered to homes on Saturday. It comes after eight in 10 people aged 65 to 69 have taken up the offer of a jab, NHS England said.But the Office for National Statistics (ONS ) has warned the UK is "not out of the woods yet". More than 18 million people in England have already had one dose of the vaccine - over a third of the entire adult population. The latest figures show that across the UK, nearly 21.4 million people have now had one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, with more than a million now having had both doses required. When will I get the vaccine? When and how will lockdown end? What is happening to the R ...

Mar62021 by adminNo Comments

Wildfire smoke particles cause more lung damage than other pollution sources

Health

March 5 (UPI) -- The fine particles in wildfire smoke are up to 10 times more harmful to human lungs than pollution from other sources, such as car exhaust, an analysis published Friday by the journal Nature Communications found. Every 10 microgram-per-cubic meter increase in particulate matter -- the hazardous microscopic particles found in dust, pollen, smoke and soot, car exhaust and industrial emissions -- led to a 1% rise in hospital admissions for breathing problems, the data showed. Advertisement Higher levels of particulate matter in wildfire smoke, however, resulted in a 1.3% to 10% increase in hospitalizations for respiratory issues. The findings are based on an analysis of air pollution from wildfires and other sources in Southern California between 1999 and 2012. The region ha...

Mar62021 by adminNo Comments

The Latest: Dalai Lama receives coronavirus vaccine

Health

DHARMSALA, India — The Dalai Lama, the 85-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader, has received the first shot of the coronavirus vaccine at a hospital in the north Indian hill town of Dharmsala.After receiving the injection, he urged people to come forward, be brave and get vaccinated.Dr. G.D. Gupta of Zonal Hospital, where the shot was administered, told reporters that the Dalai Lama was observed for 30 minutes afterward.Ten other people who live in the Dalai Lama’s residence were also vaccinated, Gupta said. All eleven received the Covishield vaccine, which was developed by Oxford University and U.K.-based drugmaker AstraZeneca, and manufactured by India’s Serum Institute.———THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:— Senate Democrats strike jobless aid deal, relief bill approval in sight— Speedy variants

Mar52021 by adminNo Comments

Hospital costs for substance use patients exceed $13B annually, study finds

Health

March 5 (UPI) -- The diagnosis and treatment of substance use disorder, as well as the management of related health complications, including overdoses, results in more than $ 13 billion in medical costs annually, an analysis published Friday by JAMA Network Open found. More than half of these costs -- $ 7.6 billion -- were tied to caring for patients with alcohol-related disorders, the data showed. Advertisement Just over $ 2.2 billion was spent on treating patients with health issues related to opioid use, the researchers said. Examples of opioids include "street" drugs such as heroin, as well as prescription pain medications used illegally or inappropriately, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. "U.S. hospitals are seeing a big increase in patients seeking acute treatment...

Mar52021 by adminNo Comments

Australia asks EU to stop blocking vaccine exports

Health

Australia is seeking assurances from the European Commission that shipments of vaccines are not blocked again after Italy banned a large export of the AstraZeneca coronavirus shotsByThe Associated PressMarch 5, 2021, 9:38 AM• 3 min readShare to FacebookShare to TwitterEmail this articleBRUSSELS -- Australia is seeking assurances from the European Union's executive arm that future shipments of vaccines will not be blocked, after Italy banned a large export of the AstraZeneca coronavirus shots.The shipment to Australia of more than a quarter-million doses was blocked from leaving the 27-nation bloc — the first use of an export control system instituted by the EU to make sure big pharma companies respect their EU contracts.The ban was requested by Italian authorities and approved by the EU in