Category: Drugs
The ‘runner’s high’ may result from the body’s own version of THC
Studies in humans and in animal models are pointing to endocannabinoids – not endorphins – as the star players in the runner’s high.
King County health officials expect to see big jump in omicron COVID-19 cases
Officials project the number of King County cases by next week to be three-times higher than the highest peak seen previously in the pandemic.
Booster Mandates Are A Tough Call for States, Businesses
Many governments, employers and universities are struggling with whether to mandate boosters, leading to mixed messages to the public and a patchwork of policies across the country, even as COVID-19 cases see a winter surge.
How the pandemic helped spread fentanyl across the US and drive opioid overdose deaths to a grim new high
The soaring death toll has been fueled by a much more dangerous black market opioid supply. Illicitly synthesized fentanyl – a potent and inexpensive opioid that has driven the rise in overdoses since it emerged in 2014 – is increasingly replacing heroin. Fentanyl and fentanyl analogs were responsible for almost two-thirds of the overdose deaths recorded in the 12 months period ending in April 2021.
Vaccination Offers Higher Protection than Previous COVID-19 Infection, CDC study finds
Study participants were over 5 times more likely to have COVID-19 if they were unvaccinated and had a prior infection
Your unvaccinated friend is roughly 20 times more likely to give you COVID
Vaccines reduce your probability of getting infected, which reduces the probability of you infecting someone else.
An infectious disease expert explains new federal rules on ‘mix-and-match’ vaccine booster shots
Understanding how the immune system works can help explain why some people could benefit from booster shots.
VACCINATION VERIFICATION NOW REQUIRED FOR MANY ACTIVITIES IN KING COUNTY
Starting today, October 25, 2021, customers age 12 and older are required to verify full vaccination or a negative test to participate in outdoor public events of 500 or more people and indoor entertainment and recreational establishments and events such as live music, performing arts, gyms, restaurants, and bars.
Biden’s Vaccine Mandate Could Further Strain Rural Hospitals
But the story may be more complicated in rural America, where resistance to the vaccine remains strongest. Some rural hospital leaders worry the vaccine mandate will exacerbate a labor shortage that was profound even before the pandemic. There are predictions that some hospitals will have to close their doors.
Organ Centers to Transplant Patients: Get a Covid Shot or Move Down on Waitlist
A growing numbers of transplant programs have chosen to either bar patients who refuse to take the widely available covid vaccines from receiving transplants, or give them lower priority on crowded organ waitlists.
Risk of a COVID-19/Flu ‘twindemic,’ makes getting vaccinated all the more urgent
As winter looms and hospitals across the U.S. continue to be deluged with severe cases of COVID-19, flu season presents a particularly ominous threat this year.
Beware of Fraudulent Coronavirus Tests, Vaccines and Treatments
The FDA is particularly concerned that these deceptive and misleading products might cause people to delay or stop appropriate medical treatment for COVID-19, leading to serious and life-threatening harm
Covid Is Killing Rural Americans at Twice the Rate of Urbanites
Rural Americans are dying of covid at more than twice the rate of their urban counterparts — a divide that health experts say is likely to widen as access to medical care shrinks for a population that tends to be older, sicker, heavier, poorer and less vaccinated.
Answers to your questions about COVID-19 vaccines
As deadlines near for COVID-19 vaccination mandates, you or someone you know may have questions about the vaccines. There’s plenty of mis-information available. For reliable answers, local health specialists from Public Health—Seattle & King County have been answering many key questions.
Can healthy people who eat right and exercise skip the COVID-19 vaccine? A research scientist and fitness enthusiast explains why the answer is no
I encourage people to do all they can to improve the health and functioning of their immune system, naturally. Then, seriously consider what additional protection would be gained from vaccination against COVID-19. When people make decisions based on the latest science – which is always evolving – rather than on emotions and misinformation, the decision should become much clearer.