HEALTH & WELLNESS

A majority of vaccine skeptics plan to refuse a COVID-19 vaccine, a study suggests, and that could be a big problem

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19, HEALTH & WELLNESS, VIDEO REELS

A majority of vaccine skeptics plan to refuse a COVID-19 vaccine, a study suggests, and that could be a big problem

The availability of a vaccine for the novel coronavirus will likely play a key role in determining when Americans can return to life as usual. Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, on April 30 announced that a vaccine could even be available by January 2021. Whether a vaccine can end this pandemic successfully, however, depends on more than its effectiveness at providing immunity against the virus, or how quickly it can be produced in mass quantities. Americans also must choose to receive the vaccine. According to some estimates, 50% to 70% of Americans would need to develop immunity to COVID-19 – either naturally, or via a vaccine – in order to thwart the spread of the virus. If these estimates are correct, that could mean that nearly twic...

We call workers ‘essential’ – but is that just referring to the work, not the people?

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19, HEALTH & WELLNESS

We call workers ‘essential’ – but is that just referring to the work, not the people?

By this point in the coronavirus pandemic, you’ve probably heard a lot about “essential workers.” They’re the people working in hospitals and grocery stores, on farms and in meatpacking plants. They’re keeping public transit, shipping and utilities running. But is “essential” describing the workers themselves? Or only the work they do? Right now, many don’t feel like they’re being treated like they’re essential, and workers at Amazon, Walmart and other companies have organized strikes to protest unsafe working conditions. There seems to be a disconnect between how some low-wage workers are being described and what they’re experiencing on the ground. As an expert in sociolinguistics, I can’t stress enough the importance of framing – how we emphasize perspectives and priorities through o...

In the rush to innovate for COVID-19 drugs, sound science is still essential

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19, HEALTH & WELLNESS

In the rush to innovate for COVID-19 drugs, sound science is still essential

Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine have been at the center of debate in recent weeks over which drugs should be used to treat COVID-19. Neither product has strong evidence to support use for this purpose, and small studies reported to date have either had significant flaws or failed to demonstrate effect. Nonetheless, the president can’t seem to stop pushing them, arguing that patients have nothing to lose. As physicians, bioethicists and drug law experts, we have a responsibility to inject caution here. As public officials and scientists rush to innovate, no one should overlook the critical role of strong regulatory protections in supporting our ability to actually figure out which drugs work against COVID-19. Weakening commitment to science and evidence during this crisis truly would be...

Wait times remain stubbornly long in hospital emergency rooms

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Wait times remain stubbornly long in hospital emergency rooms

Each year, there are well over 100 million hospital emergency department visits in the U.S. In 2017, there were about 139 million, or 43 visits for every 100 Americans. While wait times have declined in the last decade – now averaging about 40 minutes – they remain stubbornly long. Millions of patients still wait at least two hours to see a provider – 7 million did in 2017 – and that is no guarantee they won’t have to wait even longer for treatment. In California, hundreds of thousands of patients that same year left after getting an emergency department bed but before their care was complete. How long people have to wait can have a lot to do with the outcome of those visits, sometimes with serious consequences that include longer hospital stays, increased medical errors and higher death...

Ways to be neighborly and keep social distancing

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19, HEALTH & WELLNESS

Ways to be neighborly and keep social distancing

“Won’t you be my neighbor?” Fred Rogers sang this song upwards of 900 times during 31 seasons of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.” But how is being a good neighbor possible during this time of quarantines and social distancing? Tracy Kirby Harbold, executive director of the Upper Arlington Community Foundation in a suburb of Columbus, Ohio, said its Good Neighbor Fund has experienced an increase in monetary donations and gift cards in the past month. “People want to do something to help neighbors,” said Harbold, pointing out that about 33,000 live in the community. “We will pay rent, car payments, insurance, back bills ... whatever is the need.” She added, “The silver lining in this is that people are looking at their neighbors and asking how they can help them. They are checking on seni...

Doctors facing grim choice over ventilators told to put patients with disabilities at the back of the line

2Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19, HEALTH & WELLNESS, Journalism

Doctors facing grim choice over ventilators told to put patients with disabilities at the back of the line

As cases related to the novel coronavirus continue to strain hospitals, doctors face difficult choices about rationing scarce medical resources like ventilators – choices that will likely determine who lives and who dies. Several states’ policies tell providers to allocate scarce resources to those most likely to benefit. For example, Washington state recently adopted a policy that favors “the survival of young otherwise healthy patients more heavily than that of older, chronically debilitated patients.” Similar new guidelines have been issued in Massachusetts as well. In several other states, existing policies that were developed in anticipation of an emergency – including pandemics – recommend rationing that prioritizes giving ventilators to otherwise healthy people who are most likely...

Videoconferencing keeps people connected while the coronavirus keeps them inside – but privacy and security are far from perfect

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19, HEALTH & WELLNESS, TECHNOLOGY

Videoconferencing keeps people connected while the coronavirus keeps them inside – but privacy and security are far from perfect

If, before COVID-19, you were concerned about all the data that technology companies had about you, just wait. As stay-at-home orders push more professional and social activities online, it’s becoming harder to remain in control. Look no further than Zoom, which suffered dual security and privacy crises in the past few weeks. Lawsuits alleging data sharing violations and hackers have descended on the software, which has led Google and school districts to ban Zoom for professional use. I’m a researcher who investigates how these concerns affect the use of online platforms. The first thing to understand is that privacy and security are two different things, and they have different consequences for using videoconferencing platforms. Privacy versus security Privacy refers to individuals’ uni...

Older Americans are risking coronavirus exposure to get their medications

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19, HEALTH & WELLNESS, Journalism

Older Americans are risking coronavirus exposure to get their medications

It’s been nearly a month since the U.S. government began urging older Americans to stay home to avoid exposure to the new coronavirus. That means many older adults may be running out of their usual 30-day supplies of medication. As the pandemic continues to spread, they increasingly face a difficult challenge: how to get the medications they need without putting themselves at risk. As health services researchers at the University of Michigan, we recently conducted a national survey to see how Americans over age 65 were responding to that dilemma. The results should be a call to action, both for older adults and for those who care about them. A national survey shines light on risky choices The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that older adults and anyone with chronic ...

Doctors are making life-and-death choices over coronavirus patients – it could have long-term consequences for them

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19, HEALTH & WELLNESS

Doctors are making life-and-death choices over coronavirus patients – it could have long-term consequences for them

As the coronavirus spreads and demand for medical gear far outstrips the supplies, doctors in the U.S. may have to choose who among their patients lives and who dies. Doctors in Italy have already been forced to make such moral choices. In a recent article in The New York Times, six doctors at five of the major city hospitals said they were worried they would soon have to make painful decisions regarding who should come off lifesaving ventilators. In addition to the moral anguish of this decision, they also outlined their concern about potential lawsuits or criminal charges if they went against the wishes of a patient or family. The nature of these decisions shares many parallels with those that we studied in soldiers. These decisions not only involve life-and-death consequences, but th...

Governors take charge of response to the coronavirus

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19, HEALTH & WELLNESS

Governors take charge of response to the coronavirus

Just after every gubernatorial election, but before inaugurations, the National Governors Association organizes a two-day “New Governors School.” Current governors serve as the faculty for newly elected governors, offering a crash course in taking on states’ highest office from those with first-hand experience. It is not by chance that the first of about eight sessions focuses on “What do you do in a crisis?” One of the very first recommendations to all new governors during this session is to make their first appointment the state’s emergency preparedness agency director – not the chief of staff or even the governor’s liaison to the legislature. Those can wait. The nation’s governors know a crisis can happen the day after the inauguration and they need to be prepared. Today, the coronav...