Patients of Asian and black backgrounds suffered disproportionate rates of premature death from COVID-19, according to a study of 1,737 patients by Queen Mary University of London and Barts Health NHS Trust. The study, published in BMJ Open, is one of the most comprehensive studies exploring COVID-19 outcomes in black, Asian and minority ethnic populations so...
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COVID-19 Warnings Were on Twitter Well Before the Outbreak of the Pandemic
Even before public announcements of the first cases of COVID-19 in Europe were made, at the end of January 2020, signals that something strange was happening were already circulating on social media. A new study of researchers at IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, published in Scientific Reports, has identified tracks of increasing concern about pneumonia cases...
New COVID-19 Model Shows Little Benefit in Vaccinating High-Risk Individuals First
The World Health Organization reports that as of January 19, 2021, there are approximately 94 million cases of COVID-19 globally, with over 2 million deaths. In the face of these numbers — driven in part by an aggressive resurgence of the virus in the U.S. — health authorities face a tenuous balancing act: how to enact policies...
State Responses, Not Federal, Influenced Rise in Unemployment Claims Early in the Pandemic
Early in the U.S. COVID-19 pandemic, unemployment claims were largely driven by state shutdown orders and the nature of a state’s economy and not by the virus, according a new article by Georgia State University economists. David Sjoquist and Laura Wheeler found no evidence the Payroll Protection Program (PPP) affected the number of initial claims...
Lack of Physical Exercise During COVID-19 Confinement May Lead to a Rise in Mortality
Social distancing and working from home help prevent transmission of the novel coronavirus but can be conducive to unhealthy behavior such as bingeing on fast food or spending more time in a chair or on a couch staring at a screen, and generally moving about less during the day. Scientists believe the reduction in physical...
Loss of Smell Is the Best Sign of COVID-19
Two international studies confirm that for the majority of patients with respiratory infections who lose the sense of smell, this is due to COVID-19. The disease also often results in both loss of taste and the other senses in the mouth. A researcher from Aarhus University has contributed to the new results. If you have...
Drinking During COVID-19 Up Among People with Anxiety and Depression
People with anxiety and depression are more likely to report an increase in drinking during the COVID-19 pandemic than those without mental health issues, according to a new study by researchers at NYU School of Global Public Health published in the journal Preventive Medicine. While drinking grew the most among younger people, older adults with anxiety...
Loneliness Hits Young People Harder During Lockdown
Fear of losing your job, worrying about you or a loved one getting sick, and online meetups with family and friends you have not seen for months. The COVID-19 lockdown has completely changed everyday life for most people around the world. Physical distancing is the new normal and an extremely important tool in the fight...
Disagreeing Takes Up a Lot of Brain Real Estate
Yale researchers have devised a way to peer into the brains of two people simultaneously while are engaged in discussion. What they found will not surprise anyone who has found themselves arguing about politics or social issues. When two people agree, their brains exhibit a calm synchronicity of activity focused on sensory areas of the...
Families’ Remote Learning Experience During Lockdown More Positive Than Widely Believed
The remote learning experience of parents who had their children at home in Spring 2020, as schools across the US closed during the United States’ COVID-19 lockdown, was more positive than widely believed. That is the suggestion from a new study published in the Journal of School Choice, which looked at the experience of a nationally...