With the number of coronavirus cases in the United States approaching 3 million on Monday, hospitals across the Sun Belt continued to be flooded with COVID-19 patients. Arizona reached 89 percent capacity for ICU beds, as Alabama, California, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas also reported unprecedented numbers of hospitalizations, the Washington Post reported. For the 28th day in a row, the country’s rolling seven-day average of daily new cases obliterated previous records, though the number of deaths nationwide has remained relatively stable, the newspaper reported. Testing centers across the country are now being stretched to their limits, according to the Post. In many cities, a combination of factors are fueling the problem: a shortage of key supplies, backlogs at laboratories that perform the tests, and surging infection counts as cases climb in almost 40 states. Forget any talk about a second wave of COVID-19 infections, because America is “still knee deep in the first wave,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Monday, the Post reported. Unlike Europe, “we never came down to baseline and now are surging back up,” he explained. Other public health experts have issued similar warnings. “We’re right back where we were at the peak of the epidemic during the New York outbreak,” former U.S. Food and Drug Administration commissioner Scott Gottlieb…  read on >

Stress from social distancing and isolation to stop the spread of COVID-19 can lead to increased family violence at home, Tulane University experts say. These changes in routine can upset kids, who may lash out and test limits. Stress from bad behavior, along with financial and other concerns can result in angry outbursts — even verbal and physical abuse, said Dr. Charles Zeanah Jr., chair of psychiatry, and Dr. Myo Thwin Myint, an assistant professor of psychiatry. They offered their insights in a perspective piece published in the July issue of the journal Pediatrics. Here’s their advice for parents who feel overwhelmed: Recognize that stress, anger, worry and irritability are to be expected under the uncertainty the pandemic has caused. Provide structure with consistent wake, bed and mealtimes. Structure the day with times for reading, exercise, screen time and the like. If both parents are home, use a tag team approach to childcare. Remember that kids’ bad behaviors probably stem from distress and disruption of their usual routines. When stressed, use a coping strategy like deep breathing and identifying things you’re grateful for. If these don’t work, get some rest. Calling friends or family members can help head off avoid violent behaviors. “The economic stresses of the pandemic and disruptions of families’ usual sources of support will likely extend well beyond the period of stay-at-home…  read on >

Stressed from home-schooling your kids? Lonely from lockdown? Worried about a sick loved one isolated in a nursing home? Worried you might lose your job? The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is affecting everyone’s mental health in ways small and large, and experts are concerned that for many, today’s anxiety will become a tidal wave of mental health problems in the years ahead. The pandemic is adding to what already was an underrecognized mental health crisis in the United States, according to Dr. Don Mordecai, national mental health and wellness lead at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, Calif. Rates of anxiety and depression have steadily risen for years, as have deaths of despair related to suicide and drug overdose, he said during a HD Live! interview. “All those things have been going up for decades, really, and now you bring the pandemic in,” Mordecai said. “It’s not like we were in good shape in terms of our mental health and now it’s getting worse. It’s more like we were not in good shape, and then you bring in another big stressor.” Clinical psychologist Jelena Kecmanovic also is concerned about the toll of the anxiety-provoking changes to everyday life that people are enduring. “Anxiety is exhausting and terrifying,” said Kecmanovic, director of the Arlington/DC Behavior Therapy Institute in Arlington, Va. “If it is happening long enough, you’re going to…  read on >

(HealthDay News) — For the 27th day in a row, the rolling seven-day average for daily new coronavirus cases in the United States set another record on Sunday, climbing past 48,000 COVID-19 infections in just 24 hours. At the same time, coronavirus-related hospitalizations rose to their highest levels to date in Arizona and Nevada, the Washington Post reported. “We’re right back where we were at the peak of the epidemic during the New York outbreak,” former U.S. Food and Drug Administration commissioner Scott Gottlieb said Sunday on the CBS show, “Face the Nation,” the Post reported. “The difference now is that we really had one epicenter of spread when New York was going through its hardship, now we really have four major epicenters of spread: Los Angeles, cities in Texas, cities in Florida, and Arizona. And Florida looks to be in the worst shape.” On Sunday, new coronavirus cases in that state exceeded 10,000 in a day for the third time in the past week, after the state posted a record of 11,458 new cases on Saturday, the Post reported. More than 47,000 of Florida’s cases are in Miami-Dade county. “We’ve been breaking record after record after record . . . the last couple of weeks,” Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.” Florida’s total caseload hit 200,000, a grim milestone only passed so…  read on >

You may enjoy the fireworks on the Fourth of July, but there’s a good chance Fido and Fluffy do not. “Even pets that are not usually sensitive to loud sounds and noise can become extremely stressed due to the sound of fireworks,” said John Howe, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association. “It’s hard not to feel helpless when you see them shaking and panting and so obviously distressed,” he added. With a little advance preparation, you can ease your pets’ anxiety and keep them calm. Here’s how: Try a workout. Take your dog(s) out for play and exercise earlier in the day. This can help burn off extra energy, limit their their anxiety later and help them rest more soundly. Update I.D. Make sure your pet has up-to-date identification tags and that their microchip has your correct contact information, because highly stressed pets may run off. Proper I.D. improves the chances that your pet will make it home safely if that occurs, Howe said. Give pets a safe space. Keep them indoors. Cats tend to feel most secure in a covered spot off the ground, like a hut in an indoor cat tree. For a dog, put its crate or bed in the quietest, most secure room possible. Keep windows and curtains closed to help muffle sounds. Try different things to see what works…  read on >

(HealthDay News) — As the daily toll of new coronavirus cases broke yet another record and topped 55,000 on Thursday, COVID-19 hospitalizations were also climbing across the South and West. Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, Nevada and Arizona all set records for hospitalizations on Thursday, a sobering harbinger of what is yet to come, the Washington Post reported. The virus appears to be spreading wildly in Arizona, as hospitals rushed to expand capacity and adopted practices similar to those employed at the height of the outbreak in New York City and Italy, the Post reported. Those measures include doubling up hospital beds in rooms, pausing elective surgeries and bringing in health-care workers from other states. Preparing for the worst, state officials this week activated crisis protocols, which determine for hospitals which patients get ventilators and care as the system becomes overwhelmed under the crush of patients, the Post reported. “You look at what happened in Lombardy, Italy. What happened in New York. That’s what is about to happen here. People are going to die because our system is overwhelmed,” said Will Humble, who directed Arizona’s Department of Health Services for six years under its previous Republican governor. “It’s important for other states to learn from us. This wasn’t bad luck. It was avoidable. Don’t let this happen to you. You look back at the past few months…  read on >