Updated June 7, 2022 The COVID-19 pandemic has been with us for more than two years. While vaccination has proved an effective means of preventing hospitalizations and death from SARS-CoV-2 infection, many are still susceptible due to poorly functioning immune systems, an inability to respond to or safely get vaccinated against COVID-19, and vaccine refusal ...

Updated June 7, 2022 On March 29, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized an additional Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna mRNA booster shot for those who are 50 years old and older and younger people with compromised immune systems. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) then added this second booster to its coronavirus vaccine ...

Published April 22, 2022 COVID-19 has left its mark in more ways than the number of COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, deaths, and long-term consequences indicate. While the COVID-19 pandemic is having a direct detrimental effect on public health, the economy, and our social lives, there are many indirect medical consequences as well. In 2021, the death ...

Published March 16, 2022 The COVID-19 pandemic has been fraught with mountains of inaccurate information, so much so that the World Health Organization has declared it a misinformation pandemic or infodemic. This has created a widening political and ideological rift that has prolonged the pandemic by:

• Encouraging vaccine hesitancy
• Increasing distrust in science
• Discouraging the use of ...
  
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Published March 15, 2022 At the time of writing this — with an estimated 43% of Americans having had COVID-19 and many more being immune due to COVID vaccinations, including 65% who are fully vaccinated and 44% who have received boosters — the rate of new COVID infections is dropping. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues ...

Published February 25, 2022 The response to COVID-19 is still a political issue and the resulting division between political parties within the United States has persisted and is still having an adverse effect on the pandemic. The division began almost as soon as the presence of the novel coronavirus was confirmed in this country. Much ...

Updated June 8, 2022 Omicron BA.1 has had a major impact on the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the multiple differences from the Delta variant, the Omicron variant has prolonged and intensified the pandemic, made COVID more difficult to treat, and reduced the effectiveness of currently available coronavirus vaccines and infections from previous variants to prevent ...

Updated December 5, 2021 COVID vaccination, especially vaccine mandates, is a polarizing issue for much of the United States. This has resulted in conflicts among politicians and political parties, families — especially divorced parents, parents and teachers, employers and employees, and vaccinated and unvaccinated people. It is such an emotional issue that many of the ...

Published December 21, 2021 When it comes to COVID vaccine boosters, until recently, it was all about Pfizer. Now the FDA has approved both Moderna and Johnson & Johnson boosters for those adults initially vaccinated with the corresponding vaccine. CDC approval followed quickly on October 21, 2021. This decision involved giving boosters to high risk ...

Published November 8, 2021 Iodine seems to be the newest alleged remedy for COVID-19. Anti-vaxxers are using iodine solutions to gargle, spray up their noses, and even swallow as a way to prevent COVID infections. This is predominantly based on a YouTube video from an emergency room doctor in Thailand that went viral on Facebook ...

On October 25th the White House issued a proclamation that will lift flight restrictions from certain countries and on November 8th replace it with a requirement that all non-resident passengers travelling to the United States present proof of vaccination before boarding the aircraft. Although children and adolescents less than 18 years old are exempt, they ...

Updated June 21, 2022 COVID-19 is not rare in children and adolescents. At time of update, it has infected more than 18.5% (13,541,1531) of the young people in the United States. Since even those with mild or asymptomatic disease can spread COVID to others, they are a source of infection for unprotected and vulnerable individuals ...

Updated November 26, 2021 Periodic screening for COVID infection is one of many proven ways to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Unfortunately, like COVID immunizations, it is underutilized and federal mandates  for private businesses are currently blocked — although the Justice Department has asked the U.S. Court of Appeals to reinstate them. Despite the current ...

Updated February 17, 2022 Although the number of new COVID-19 cases in our country is again decreasing after the Omicron peak, hospital and healthcare professionals are still being overwhelmed by the number of COVID patients needing significant care. This is occurring almost entirely in unvaccinated individuals. As of this update 24% of Americans are unvaccinated ...

Published September 29, 2021 Many who do not accept the CDC’s evidence-based recommendations about vaccinations and face masks are turning to other ways to prevent and/or treat COVID infections.  Hydroxychloroquine was the first of these. Now it is ivermectin, a drug used to treat certain parasitic infections in the intestines, like pinworms and strongyloides.  Like hydroxychloroquine, there are clinical studies assessing the effect of ivermectin ...

Updated June 20, 2022 As of June 18, 2022, the COVID vaccine is available to anyone 6 months old and older, in the United States for protection against severe COVID disease and death. Many have not taken advantage of this, either by not getting fully vaccinated or not getting vaccinated at all. While 59% of ...

Locate a Collection Site Near You and participate in the National Prescription Take Back Day sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Agency on Saturday October 24.  Take Back Day addresses a crucial public safety and public health issue. According to the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 9.9 million Americans misused controlled prescription drugs. The study shows ...

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University of MichiganNational Poll on Healthy Aging shows only 29% of adults who take five or more prescription drugs have had a comprehensive medication review.  Learn more from BeMedWise about Older Adults and Polypharmacy and download Juggling Multiple Medications? ...

Nothing is more important during a pandemic than ensuring that the public consistently receives accurate information that they can understand. But even government websites designed with the intent to reach people with low literacy levels appear to be falling short of their guidelines for accessible text, according to an August research letter in JAMA Network Open ...