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A giant space rock demolished an ancient Middle Eastern city and everyone in it
By Christopher R. Moore, University of South Carolina As the inhabitants of an ancient Middle Eastern city now called Tall el-Hammam went about their daily business one day about 3,600 years ago, they had no idea an unseen icy space rock was speeding toward them at about 38,000 mph (61,000 kph). Flashing through the atmosphere, […]
Jim Crow tactics reborn in Texas abortion law, deputizing citizens to enforce dubious law
By Stefanie Lindquist, Arizona State University The new Texas law that bans most abortions uses a method employed by Texas and other states to enforce racist Jim Crow laws in the 19th and 20th centuries that aimed to disenfranchise African Americans. Rather than giving state officials, such as the police, the power to enforce the […]
20 years after 9/11 emergency hospital and emergency preparedness remains key
By Mike Abrams, President & CEO, Ohio Hospital Association The devastating fallout of Hurricane Ida coupled with the escalation of cases and hospitalizations from COVID-19 and devastating wildfires in the West demonstrate the vital importance of emergency preparedness planning. The actions taken nationally and locally after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, ushered in a […]
Pandemic hardship is about to get a lot worse for millions of out-of-work Americans
By Jeffrey Kucik, University of Arizona and Don Leonard, The Ohio State University Millions of unemployed Americans lost pandemic-related jobless benefits as of Labor Day – just as surging cases of coronavirus slow the pace of hiring. In all, an estimated 8.8 million people stopped receiving unemployment insurance beginning on Sept. 6, 2021. Millions more […]
Court ruling dismisses science, jeopardizes Ohioans’ health
By Thomas M. File, Jr., MD and Joel A. Kammeyer, MD, MPH A Butler County judge ignored scientific evidence and proven patient care when he ordered West Chester Hospital to treat a seriously ill COVID-19 patient with the livestock deworming drug ivermectin. This drug, which has been proven safe and effective for treating head lice […]
When human life begins is a question of politics – not biology
By Sahotra Sarkar, The University of Texas at Austin A Texas law that aims to eliminate almost all abortions in the state is part of a long-standing nationwide movement to restrict the right to abortion. The Texas law went into effect on Sept. 1, 2021, and severely limits the right to have an abortion in […]
Do I need a booster shot if I got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine? A virologist answers 5 questions
By Maureen Ferran, Rochester Institute of Technology For people who received the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, the past few months have been a bit of a bumpy ride with news of side effects, pauses and restarts and now boosters. Maureen Ferran is a virologist at the Rochester Institute of Technology and has been keeping […]
Refugees after the American Revolution needed money, homes and acceptance
By G. Patrick O’Brien, Kennesaw State University The U.S. has long been a destination for people fleeing war-torn regions of the world. But in 1783, the tables were turned: Between 60,000 and 100,000 disaffected colonists from diverse backgrounds were fleeing the American states newly independent from Britain. The leaders of these exiles referred to themselves […]
Medicaid vaccination rates founder as states struggle to immunize their poorest residents
By Phil Galewitz, Kaiser Health News Medicaid enrollees are getting vaccinated against COVID-19 at far lower rates than the general population as states search for the best strategies to improve access to the shots and persuade those who remain hesitant. Efforts by state Medicaid agencies and the private health plans that most states pay to […]
Do U.S. teens have the right to be vaccinated against their parents’ will? Not in Ohio
By Brian Dean Abramson, Florida International University The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends COVID-19 vaccines for everyone aged 12 and up. And yet, 12- to 15-year olds are the least vaccinated age group in the country, with 1 in 3 having received one dose and just 1 in 4 being fully vaccinated – […]
A boy with an autoimmune disease was ready to learn in person. Then his state banned mask mandates
By Annie Waldman and Bianca Fortis, ProPublica This story was originally published by ProPublica. When the coronavirus first swept across Florida last year, Angela Gambrel did everything she could to lock down her home in Sumter County, northeast of Tampa. Her 10-year-old grandson Jayden has a rare brain disease that disrupts his immune system and […]
Deciphering the symptoms of long COVID-19 is slow and painstaking
By Allison Navis, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai My first patient that day was a woman in her early 40s, an avid marathon runner who had contracted COVID-19 in March 2020. Now, 13 months later, she noted that she still felt fatigued and short of breath. She also noticed her heart was racing […]