The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on 11 March 2020, as southern hemisphere countries prepared for their usual winter respiratory pathogen epidemics. The announcement prompted concern that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), influenza and other respiratory viruses might co-circulate, straining and possibly overwhelming healthcare systems. In Australia, these [...]

A recent case study details COVID-19 transmission on a New Zealand long-haul flight, even with negative pre-departure testing results and social distancing requirements. The 12-page report, released by New Zealand health officials last weekFriday, follows a cluster of coronavirus cases linked to one passenger traveling on an 18-hour flight from Dubai to New Zealand in September. Though the traveler tested negative with a PCR [...]

Salt that crystallizes with sharp edges is the killer ingredient in the development of a reusable mask because any coronavirus droplets that land on it would be quickly destroyed, says a researcher who is being recognized for her innovation. Ilaria Rubino, a recent PhD graduate from the department of chemical and materials engineering at the University [...]

An independent group of scientists has called for “urgent action” to make schools safer against Covid, after it was revealed that infection rates among high school students have increased 50-fold since classrooms were reopened in September. Adolescents aged 11-16 are now the age group with the highest levels of infection in England , with one in ten reported [...]

On a cold winter morning, just before daybreak, Neele Schubert walks swiftly from her room to the geriatric ward for acutely ill dementia patients at the Protestant Hospital Queen Elisabeth Herzberge (KEH) in Berlin, Germany. She waits as long as it takes for her patient to wake up and then helps her to stand. They walk [...]

Staring at the tiny screen of a smartphone for long hours can cause eye fatigue at best and irreversible eye damage at worst. While you can hardly imagine your life without your smartphone, you just have to find ways to protect your eyes when using it. Since there are some effective ways to minimize the [...]

The expression that something is “a hard pill to swallow” isn’t just a metaphor. Swallowing pills can be difficult and downright unpleasant. It causes one in three people to gag, vomit, or choke. That may keep people from sticking to their medication routines, which can make them sicker. “We often see people who can swallow [...]

Even before the pandemic, Elena found that financially supporting her family was a delicate balance. She worked a mix of odd jobs, often paid off the books, that left her with little to spare. That balance tipped into disaster in March, when Italy’s economy shut down in March to rein in the virus’ spread. For months, [...]

When was the last time you enjoyed a quiet, peaceful meal without interruption? If you can’t remember, you’re hardly alone. These days, eating a leisurely meal is a rare luxury. Sadly, for many people, eating on the run has become the norm. They gobble down meals while they text their friends, catch up on their favorite [...]

Throbbing pain in the temples, especially on just one side of your head, is typically a symptom of migraine pain. But when throbbing turns into a constant headache, and it’s accompanied by pain when you touch your temples, it may be a sign of temporal arteritis, according to the Harvard Special Health Report Headache Relief.     [...]