The U.S. coronavirus death count climbed past 150,000 on Wednesday, a milestone that none had predicted would come so soon. In April, Dr. Anthony Fauci said he hoped that no more than 60,000 people in the country would die from the coronavirus, The New York Times reported. In May, a renowned research center predicted that number would be just over 70,000 by early August. When the death tally spiked in May, President Donald Trump predicted that between 75,000 and 100,000 people could die from the new coronavirus, the newspaper said. But the daily COVID-19 death tallies have kept piling up: On Wednesday, more than 1,300 new deaths nationwide were reported, with Washington state’s death count not yet recorded, the Washington Post reported. That’s the highest one-day count since the latter half of May. Thirteen states reached their highest seven-day averages for novel coronavirus deaths, the newspaper reported. California, Florida, Idaho and North Carolina broke their records for virus-related deaths reported in a single day on Wednesday. With 217 new deaths on Wednesday, Florida joined Texas as one of eight states that have counted 200 single-day deaths at some point during the pandemic, the Post reported. “The mortality is going to march in lockstep with our transmission,” Dr. Sarah Fortune, chair of immunology and infectious diseases at the T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard,…  read on >

As the number of U.S. coronavirus cases passed 4.5 million on Thursday, some of America’s top public health officials will return to Congress for another round of questioning on the federal government’s handling of the pandemic. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, will testify Friday in front of the House’s special select committee investigating the Trump administration’s response to the pandemic, The New York Times reported. Joining him will be Dr. Robert Redfield, the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Adm. Brett Giroir, the administration’s point person on coronavirus testing. The hearing will focus on testing, vaccines and school reopenings. On Thursday, President Donald Trump again stressed his desire for students to return to the classroom, the Times reported. Fauci is expected to offer reassurances that the federal government is moving quickly but safely, while Redfield will almost certainly be questioned about the CDC’s recent shift toward favoring reopening schools. The questions for Giroir will likely center on long delays in test results across the South, the Times reported. On the vaccine front, the final phases of testing for two potential COVID-19 vaccines were launched this week. In one trial, the first of 30,000 volunteers will be given either a vaccine developed by Moderna Inc. and the U.S. National Institutes of Health or a placebo shot, the…  read on >

As Hurricane Isaias moved toward the east coast of Florida on Friday, one expert warns that the coronavirus pandemic could make preparing for an active hurricane season even more challenging. The average hurricane season has about 12 named storms, but up to 20 storms are being predicted this season, according to Marshall Shepherd, director of the Atmospheric Sciences Program at the University of Georgia. “There’s a double whammy here in terms of the most vulnerable regions to both COVID and hurricanes,” Shepherd said in a university news release. “I think it’s probably more important than ever that people are thinking about the duality of the threat here.” He said that “the most useful aspect of these seasonal predictions is to really start to get people to think about what they would actually have to do if they needed to evacuate and perhaps go to a shelter and have to deal with COVID. I think that there is an extra layer of concern and an extra layer of forethought needed in how people prepare.” For one, it’s a good idea to add masks, hand sanitizer and disinfectant products to your emergency supply kit. Those items will be important if you have to evacuate to a shelter. Find out if your usual evacuation area is in a COVID-19 hotspot and, if it is, check for alternative locations,…  read on >

The White House coronavirus task force coordinator warned Americans on Sunday that the pandemic has entered a new stage where infections are far more widespread and face masks are crucial to curbing new COVID-19 cases. “What we are seeing today is different from March and April. It is extraordinarily widespread,” Birx told CNN. “So everybody who lives in a rural area, you are not immune.” She went so far as to advise people living in the growing number of places where cases are increasing to wear a face mask at home if they are living with someone who is vulnerable to severe COVID-19. “If you have an outbreak in your rural area or in your city, you need to really consider wearing a mask at home, assuming that you’re positive if you have individuals in your household with co-morbidities,” Birx told CNN. So far, July has been the worst month, with more than 1.9 million new coronavirus cases recorded. That is nearly 42 percent of the more than 4.6 million reported nationwide since the pandemic began and more than double the number recorded in any other month, data compiled by The New York Times shows. The previous monthly high came in April, when more than 880,000 new cases were recorded. Coronavirus deaths remain high — over 1,000 for six days in a row, the Times…  read on >

High blood pressure is often seen as a condition of old age, but a new study finds that it’s common among young Americans — especially young Black adults. The study, of 18- to 44-year-olds in the United States, found that high blood pressure was prevalent across all racial groups: Among both white and Mexican American participants, 22% had the condition. But young Black adults were hardest-hit, with nearly one-third showing elevated blood pressure. Compounding the problem, only a minority of young people were getting treatment. And few — no more than 15% — had the condition under “optimal control.” “People often associate high blood pressure with older people — with their grandparents,” said Dr. Nieca Goldberg, a volunteer expert with the American Heart Association. “But younger people are not immune.” In fact, there are many reasons they can be vulnerable to high blood pressure, according to Goldberg. “These findings are not unexpected, given the rising rates of obesity in the U.S.,” she said. “Younger people also tend to eat a lot of fast food, which is high in sodium. And many aren’t getting enough exercise.” As for the racial disparities, they mirror what past studies have found among middle-aged and older Americans. “This shows us that racial differences are manifesting early in life,” said study leader Dr. Vibhu Parcha, a clinical research fellow at the…  read on >

The COVID-19 pandemic has America’s hospitals on the fiscal ropes, with many facing financial ruin without continued aid from the federal government, a new report predicts. Average hospital margins across the nation could sink to −7% in the second half of 2020 without further help, with half of all hospitals potentially operating in the red, the American Hospital Association’s new analysis estimates. “The COVID crisis continues to cripple the financial health of hospitals and health systems,” said Rick Pollack, president and CEO of the American Hospital Association (AHA). “As today’s analysis shows, this pandemic is the greatest financial threat in history for hospitals and health systems, and is a serious obstacle to keeping the doors open for many,” Pollack added. U.S. hospitals have had to spend more on personal protective equipment to keep their employees safe from COVID-19, even as revenues have dropped due to state-level lockdowns that canceled all but the most desperately needed services and surgeries. The analysis, prepared by the financial advisory firm Kaufman, Hall & Associates, considered two potential scenarios — an optimistic slow but steady decrease in COVID-19 cases, and a pessimistic outlook based on periodic surges in infections that would place additional stress on hospital operations. U.S. hospitals typically operate at an average 3.5% annual profit, “which is very thin” compared with other industries, said Ken Kaufman, managing director…  read on >

America saw its coronavirus case count pass 4 million on Thursday, as health officials across the country reported a third day of more than 1,000 new COVID-19 deaths. Alabama posted a record-setting 2,390 new cases on Thursday, while four other states — Hawaii, Indiana, Missouri and New Mexico — also hit their single-day peak for new cases, The New York Times reported. Meanwhile, Florida and Tennessee each had more virus-related deaths than on any other previous day. The rapid spread of coronavirus this summer is sobering, taking just 15 days to go from 3 million cases to 4 million, the Washington Post reported. This spring, it took 45 days to jump from 1 million cases to 2 million, while the leap to 3 million then took 27 days. California has been slammed twice during the pandemic: it was the first state to issue a stay-at-home order this spring, to slow an early outbreak. But after a reopening that some health officials warned was too fast, cases surged. That triggered a statewide mask mandate and the closure of bars and indoor dining again, the Times reported. With over 422,000 cases, California has surpassed New York to have the most COVID-19 cases of any state. It set a single-day record on Wednesday, with more than 12,100 new cases and 155 new deaths. In the face of climbing…  read on >

Summer means long, carefree days outside, but don’t let that sabotage your slumber, sleep experts say. An American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) survey found that 36% of U.S. adults said they sleep less in the summer, with the highest rates in the West (42%) and Midwest (40%). “The lure of the outdoors and more daylight can make it tempting to delay bedtimes, but it’s important to get healthy sleep in every season,” AASM president Dr. Kannan Ramar said in an academy news release. During the summer, go to bed at a time that allows you to get enough sleep to wake up feeling refreshed and alert. The AASM’s bedtime calculator can help you determine an appropriate bedtime for your schedule. The AASM also offers the following advice to help avoid sleep loss: Keep a consistent sleep schedule. If you tend to stay up later, make sure you allow enough time in bed to get a full night of sleep on a regular basis. Turn off your electronic devices 30 minutes to an hour before bedtime. Silence your notifications and charge your devices away from your bed so you’re not tempted to check social media or news alerts. Don’t have caffeine after lunch and avoid alcohol near bedtime, as both can disrupt sleep. Create a comfortable bedroom environment. Keep your room quiet, dark and a…  read on >

Coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said Sunday that federal health officials are recommending the closing of bars, cutting indoor restaurant capacity and limiting social gatherings to 10 people in states where COVID-19 cases are climbing. Birx added that “100%” of individuals should wear masks in public or around others, the Washington Post reported, as the number of U.S. coronavirus cases climbed past 4.2 million. “We can see what is happening in the South moving North,” said Birx, referring to soaring numbers of COVID-19 cases in states including Florida, Texas, Alabama and Georgia. “We do believe there are states that do need to close their bars,” she said. Birx has visited states in the South and Southwest, and is now focused on Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana and Virginia, the Post reported. As of Sunday, the seven-day averages for new cases hit fresh highs in several states, including Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Wisconsin and Wyoming, the Post reported. At the same time, Nevada, Texas and South Carolina set records for their seven-day averages of daily deaths, while Mississippi and North Carolina tied their previous highs, the newspaper said. Meanwhile, Florida passed New York on Sunday with the second highest number of COVID-19 cases in the country. Only California has more reported infections. In Florida, cases have…  read on >

In the midst of a pandemic, many Americans still view face mask mandates as an assault on their personal freedoms, rather than a means of protecting themselves and others from COVID-19. But a group of researchers out of Duke University say the mask backlash can be turned around — as long as efforts to do so are grounded in empathy, not judgment. As coronavirus cases in the United States soar, face mask mandates have been issued by a growing number of cities, states and national retailers. The mandates make sense, health experts say. “I think face masking is a very important part [of curbing the spread of COVID-19] and ought to be done in this epidemic,” Dr. Robert Brook, distinguished chair of RAND Corporation’s health care services program, said in a HD Live! interview. “It’s one of the few things we can do that will slow the pandemic.” But there’s been no national public health campaign to tell Americans why face masks work, and how to use them properly, Brook added. May Chu, a clinical professor of epidemiology at the University of Colorado’s School of Public Health, concurred. “We have to teach people how to wear it, how to take care of them and when to use them,” she said in the same HD Live! interview. In the meantime, some Americans balk at wearing a…  read on >