As of October 21, 2021, COVID-19 vaccinations have been increasing. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 189 million people aged 12 and over (57 percent) have received their complete vaccination. Nevertheless, 57 percent is far below the 75-80 percent vaccination rate necessary for herd immunity. The country’s inability to reach the 70 percent vaccination rate could partly be because of the failure to reach the moveable middle. This group consists of about 30-40 percent of the U.S. population who are ambivalent, at best, about getting the COVID-19...

Mix and Match Booster Vaccine Recommendations. What You Should Know “Mix and match COVID-19 vaccine,” also known as heterologous booster vaccination, means everyone who’s eligible for a booster can either stay with their original brand or opt for a new COVID-19 vaccine if they prefer. A highly anticipated National Institutes of Health study with data on “mixing and matching” COVID-19 vaccines was released on Wednesday (October 13, 2021). Although the study still needs to be peer-reviewed, it found that people who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine produced stronger antibody levels after...

SIDS Awareness Month: Safe Sleep Techniques Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), also known as “crib death” or “cot death,” occurs when a healthy baby dies while asleep for no apparent reason. SIDS is the most prevalent cause of death among babies one month to one year of age, with most deaths happening during the first four months. What Causes SIDS? Pediatricians and medical professionals do not know what causes SIDS. Still, experts suspect that SIDS can occur when babies have problems waking up or when their bodies have difficulty detecting excess carbon dioxide in the blood. Research...

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has claimed millions of lives at a scale not seen for nearly 100 years. To treat COVID-19, there has been an unprecedented global effort to advance monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapies against SARS-CoV-2 as therapeutics because no specific treatment for COVID-19 existed when the pandemic first began. Amongst the various potential therapeutic interventions, antiviral mAbs represent one of the most promising forms of treatment due to their long-lasting track record of human...

The COVID-19 virus spreads by close person-to-person contact (6 feet for 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period) via respiratory droplets (coughing, sneezing, singing, exercising, or talking) and direct contact with contaminated surfaces. Most people with mild clinical presentation can rest at home until they get better and start symptomatic supportive treatment like hydration, over-the-counter antipyretics, analgesics, or antitussives for fever, headache, myalgias, or cough, respectively. Quarantine at home for 14 days (incubation period) is crucial for healthy individuals after the last...