Moderna COVID 19 vaccine
Health News

COVID VACCINES FOR THIS FALL: WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR 

The FDA approved updated versions of the COVID vaccine only for people ages 65 and older and people who have a medical condition that puts them at higher risk. That’s a much narrower focus than in previous years when vaccination was recommended for all people age 6 months and older.  

Photo of a forest fire with billowing smoke.
Health News

Wildfire smoke can make your outdoor workout hazardous to your health – an exercise scientist explains how to gauge the risk

Wildfires produce huge quantities of airborne particles, also called fine particulate matter. These particles are less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter – about a tenth the size of a pollen grain.

Particles of that size, which air quality experts refer to as PM2.5, raise serious health concerns because they are tiny enough to be carried to the air sacs in the deepest parts of the lungs. From there, they can cross into the blood stream, leading to bodywide inflammation – essentially, the immune system’s fight response – which can promote or aggravate multiple chronic illnesses.

Seniors child aging grandparents.
Health News

Older adults now outnumber children in 11 states

Montana, Oregon and Pennsylvania have joined the ranks of states where older people outnumber children. Other states where older people already outnumbered children in 2023: Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont and West Virginia. That grew from just four in 2020: Florida, Maine, Vermont and West Virginia.