Why is Good News on COVID-19 Bad?
There seems to be a pattern emerging to push back on any new information that suggests COVID-19 may not be as severe as initially believed, even if that new information comes from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). It is unclear why, although one might speculate […]
How Fear of a Virus Changed Our World | Barbara Loe Fisher
Fear is a primal biological response to a perceived threat to our survival. Fear triggers momentary paralysis and then a fight or flight reaction before the brain can rationally analyze and calibrate our response to a perceived threat. Right now, people around the world are living in fear of being infected or infecting someone else […]
Allergy Risks Increase as FDA Changes Food Labeling Requirements During COVID-19 Pandemic
Opinion | On May 22, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a public comment providing new guidance that will relax the labeling requirements on packaged food to allow food companies more flexibility during the COVD-19 pandemic. Companies selling food are now allowed to make minor changes to the formulation of food products […]
Mental Health Impact from COVID-19 May Last Years
Story Highlights A poll shows that the fear and anxiety associated with the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the mental health of almost 50 percent of Americans. Mental health experts have observed that anxiety stemming from the pandemic has come in waves beginning with anxiety about getting the infection or giving it to someone else to […]
Virginia Legislature Gives CDC, Board of Health Power to Mandate Vaccines for School Children
In the 2020 Legislative session, the Virginia Legislature passed H.B.1090, a bill that amended a law requiring children attending public and private schools in the state to receive vaccines (§ 32.1-46. Immunization of patients against certain diseases).1 Virginia Delegate Patrick Hope (D-Arlington) was the lead sponsor of H.B. 1090 introduced on Jan. 8, 2020, which […]
Study: Melatonin May Help Moderate COVID-19 Cytokine Storm
Story Highlights Many of the serious side effects of COVID-19, including high fever, cough, shortness of breath, lung injuries and long-term lung fibrosis are symptoms of a cytokine storm, which is a hyper-inflammatory response to infection. Melatonin, a hormone produced in the mitochondria and existing in almost all cells in all organisms, has been investigated […]