CNN – Health

By Dejania Oliver, CNN Rapid antigen Covid-19 tests, better known as home tests, have become more common in households across the country as supplies have increased. These tests are designed to give you results in less than 30 minutes from the comfort of your own home. But if you have several boxes of them stored

By Kristen Rogers, CNN If you need to know whether you have coronavirus but don’t want to deal with appointment scheduling and clinic wait times, a self-test can be a convenient solution. But who are self-tests right for? And how do you use them correctly? Coronavirus self-tests — also known as home tests or over-the-counter

By Maggie Fox and Virginia Langmaid, CNN Vaccine maker Pfizer said Friday that trials of its vaccine in children ages 2 to 5 show it did not provide the expected immunity in kids this age and it is adding a third dose to the regimen. The company decided to add the third dose for all

By Jacqueline Howard, CNN New evidence shows that a practice known as test-to-stay works to keep children in classrooms safely, even if they’ve been exposed to the virus that causes Covid-19, said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Test-to-stay is an encouraging public health practice to keep our

By Kristen Rogers, CNN If you need to know whether you have coronavirus but don’t want to deal with appointment scheduling and clinic wait times, a self-test can be a convenient solution. But who are self-tests right for? And how do you use them correctly? Coronavirus self-tests — also known as home tests or over-the-counter

By Laura Smith-Spark, CNN South Africa, the United Kingdom and Denmark are three of the countries where the Omicron variant is now surging, less than a month after it was first detected. The UK is seeking to vaccinate itself out of the crisis, with an accelerated campaign to give a third Covid-19 vaccine dose to

By Jen Christensen, CNN The US Food and Drug Administration relaxed certain federal regulations Thursday on medication abortion, a two-medication process that has become one of the most commonly used abortion methods in the United States. What is medication abortion? Medication abortion, also known as medical abortion, is a method by which someone ends their

By Maggie Fox, CNN The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed its recommendations for Covid-19 vaccines Thursday to make clear that shots made by Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech are preferred over Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine. The new recommendation: “mRNA vaccines are preferred over the Janssen Covid-19 vaccine for the prevention of Covid-19 for those

By Maggie Fox, CNN The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed its recommendations for Covid-19 vaccines Thursday to make clear that shots made by Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech are preferred over Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine. The new recommendation: “mRNA vaccines are preferred over the Janssen Covid-19 vaccine for the prevention of Covid-19 for those

By Aya Elamroussi, CNN With coronavirus cases surging once again, frustrated Americans are struggling to get tested days before Christmas as long lines and increased demand overwhelm some facilities across the country. The catalyst has been the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, which has become the dominant strain in the US in a matter

By Dakin Andone, CNN Covid-19 infections and hospitalizations are rising once again, prompting a new wave of cancellations and disruptions as the country prepares for another pandemic holiday season. The US is now averaging 118,717 new Covid-19 cases each day — 40% higher than a month ago — according to data from Johns Hopkins University,

By Stephanie Mansour, CNN For many of us, the cold winter weather is something to dread. Winter means more layers, trying to stay warm when outside, and often stiffness in the upper body. The cold weather makes us more prone to hunching forward, which can lead to poor posture and tightness in the shoulders and

By Jacqueline Howard, CNN US health officials are bracing for a trio of public health concerns this winter: more infections from the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, surging infections with the Delta variant, and a “slow but steady” comeback of the flu. There is growing concern that a rise in Omicron cases, paired with climbing

By Sandee LaMotte, CNN The great Covid-19 lockdown of March to June 2020 created more than a run on toilet paper, masks and hand sanitizers. A new analysis of alcohol sales in a sampling of American states has found panic buying of hard liquor and wine also spiked. Sales of beer, however, remained steady or

By Jamie Gumbrecht and Elizabeth Cohen, CNN The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisers will meet on Thursday to revisit the benefits and risks for the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is scheduled to vote on “updated recommendations for use,” according to an agenda for the

By Nadia Kounang NFL players are about four times more likely to die of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, than the general public, researchers found in a study published Wednesday. The researchers from Harvard University and Boston University’s CTE Center evaluated all 19,423 NFL athletes who played one or more

By Madeline Holcombe, CNN Even in pre-pandemic times, holiday gatherings with loved ones could be a careful dance of dodging landmines on the way to wonderful memories. This year, we are adding potentially explosive conversations around vaccination status. About 61% of the United States population is fully vaccinated against Covid-19, according to the US Centers

By Deidre McPhillips, CNN Substance use among teens — including alcohol, marijuana, vaping and illicit drugs — dropped significantly in 2021, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s latest Monitoring the Future survey, published Wednesday. The researchers found the largest single-year decline in illicit drug use since the survey began in 1975, with drops

By Maggie Fox, CNN Hospitals are struggling to hold on to nurses and other professionals, staff are traumatized and the influx of patients feels like it’s coming out of a fire hose, doctors say. The Covid-19 pandemic, entering its third year with 800,000 people dead in the US alone, could damage the health industry for

By Sandee LaMotte, CNN When it comes to praising your child for their actions, parents walk a fine line between being helpful or harmful to their child’s development. “To foster a growth mindset, you should use more process-based praise, such as ‘Great job trying! I could see how much effort you put into that,’ versus

By Maggie Fox, CNN South African researchers added new details Tuesday to what’s known about the Omicron variant of coronavirus, confirming that vaccines provide less protection against the new strain but also saying they still see indications that Omicron causes milder symptoms than previous variants. There seems to be little doubt that Omicron is highly

By Lisa Drayer, CNN The winter months are here, welcoming us with temperatures that can bring on the chills. A hot beverage is often the perfect remedy to warm you up, but a decadent hot chocolate with whipped cream or sugar-laden chai latte can make it difficult to stick to your new year’s health goals.

By Amy Woodyatt, CNN Brain surgeons and rocket scientists are not necessarily smarter than the general public, researchers reported Monday, as they tried to settle the argument of whether the phrase “it’s not brain surgery” or “it’s not rocket science” is most deserved. Researchers sought to find out if one profession had intellectual superiority, and

By Faith Karimi and Deidre McPhillips, CNN On December 14, 2020, nurse Sandra Lindsay rolled up her left sleeve at a New York City hospital and became one of the first people in the US to get vaccinated against Covid-19. The vaccine was from Pfizer/BioNTech, and it had been authorized for emergency use only three