Seasonal flu vaccine

NEW YORK (CBS/AP) — February is usually the peak of flu season, with doctors’ offices and hospitals packed with suffering patients. But not this year. Flu has virtually disappeared from the U.S., with reports coming in at far lower levels than anything seen in decades. READ MORE: Baker Tells Oversight Panel Examining Bumpy Vaccine Rollout Supply Is Biggest Issue Experts say that measures put in place to fend off the coronavirus — mask wearing, social distancing and virtual schooling — were a big factor in preventing a “twindemic” of flu and COVID-19. A push to get more people vaccinated against flu probably helped, too, as did fewer people traveling, they say. Another possible explanation: The coronavirus has essentially muscled aside flu and other bugs that are more common in the fall and winter. Scientists don’t fully understand the mechanism behind that, but it would be consistent with patterns seen when certain flu strains predominate over others, said Dr. Arnold Monto, a … [Read more...] about Flu Has Virtually Disappeared In US During COVID Pandemic

Formula One's new boss Stefano Domenicali says the sport will try to avoid jumping the queue for vaccines to protect its longest-ever season from the Covid-19 crisis. Some countries have drawn criticism by vaccinating their athletes, or planning to do so, ahead of the Tokyo Olympic Games. Football bosses are among those who have said health workers and society's most vulnerable must take precedence, a stance Domenicali agreed with. And the Italian, who replaces Chase Carey as the sport's new supremo this season, is well aware of the issues facing F1 ahead of next month's 2021 curtain-raiser in Bahrain. When asking about the Covid-19 vaccines, he said: "This is a very important point. The most vulnerable, that is priority one. We don't want to jump on the line of vaccination. "We need to be prudent and see and respect what is the situation with the more vulnerable people and we don't want to be seen as the ones taking away for sure." Domenicali's comments come after … [Read more...] about F1 chief responds to fears over jumping Covid-19 vaccine queue to protect jam-packed schedule

(CBS) – The Unicorn is back with another new episode titled “In Memory Of…”. In tonight’s chapter a memorial is planned for Wade’s (Walton Goggins) late wife that leads daughter Natalie to discover that she is starting to lose some memories about her mother that the family has to come to terms with. CBS ‘ Matt Weiss spoke to Goggins about this week’s episode, working with both of his “TV daughters” and what fans can expect for the rest of season two. READ MORE: 39,725 Minutes! Painfully Long Waits On Vaccine Website As Thousands Of New Appointments Are Filled MW: Walton, good to see you my man. How’s everything going? WG: Good buddy. Good MW: We’re in season two of The Unicorn now and I’m curious to hear from your perspective. What’s the difference in the second season versus the first season, if any? WG: Well, I am lucky to have been in the second season for a number of shows now, and so I’m familiar with what can happen if you do it right. I think the … [Read more...] about Walton Goggins On ‘The Unicorns’ Final Few Episodes Of Season Two: ‘You Will Laugh, There Will Be Moments Where You’ll Cry’

Jonathan Reiner, MD, is a CNN medical analyst and Professor of Medicine and Surgery at George Washington University. The views expressed in this commentary belong to the author. View more opinion at CNN. (CNN) The January 6 attack on the United States Capitol was a vivid demonstration of the havoc that can result when a really big lie is repeatedly injected into the body politic. Jonathan Reiner But there was another big lie in 2020, also propagated by former President Donald Trump, involving the coronavirus pandemic. It was a lie that systematically downplayed the severity of Covid-19 and the utility of face masks. It very likely resulted in the unnecessary deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans. To understand the genesis of this lie, remember that the coronavirus arrived in an election year. Despite a rancorous initial three years punctuated with an impeachment, the former president's path to reelection was bolstered by one unimpeachable … [Read more...] about Donald Trump’s other, tragic big lie

advertisement advertisement advertisement In the wee hours of the morning on Monday, February 15, my house, like many others across the state of Texas, lost power during a winter storm. For the next 48 hours, we wore layers of clothes and huddled under blankets as temperatures indoors dropped to about 40 degrees. Even after the power came on, water supplies were low, and the city of Austin was under a boil-water order. advertisement advertisement This cold snap and series of storms were by far the worst I have encountered in the 23 years I have lived in town, but longtime Texans do remember other bad winter storms over the years. They are not utterly unprecedented. So why was Texas so poorly prepared for a week of snow and freezing temperatures? A lot of it has to do with how people make decisions about unlikely events. People generally have difficulty with understanding very small probabilities—and, importantly, how those … [Read more...] about You’re probably not planning enough for unlikely events