Author: Vera

CDC advisers back Moderna and J&J COVID vaccine boosters : Shots

Vera
CDC advisers back Moderna and J&J COVID vaccine boosters : Shots

A health care worker administers a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine Thursday at Life of Hope Center in New York City.

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images


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Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

A health care worker administers a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine Thursday at Life of Hope Center in New York City.

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is backing the roll out of Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine boosters in line with the Food and Drug Administration’s authorizations issued Wednesday. The CDC is also supporting a mix-and-match approach to booster vaccination.

CDC director Rochelle Walensky called the recommendations an “example of our fundamental commitment to protect as many people as possible from COVID-19.”

The announcement came just hours after the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee voted unanimously in favor of booster doses.

For Moderna, the panel said a booster should be given to people on the same terms as the Pfizer-BioNTech booster. That would cover people 65 and older, people 18 and older in long-term care settings and people 50 to 64 with relevant underlying medical conditions. The booster may be given to people 18 to 49 years with certain medical conditions and to people 18 to 64 who have COVID-19 risks related to their work or who live in certain institutional settings.

For Johnson & Johnson, the panel’s advice was simpler: A booster is recommended for people 18 and older at least two months after their initial immunization.

What to know about your risk of a serious or fatal breakthrough COVID infection

A CDC presentation and draft voting language said that the same vaccine used for initial immunization should be used as a booster dose but that a mix-and-match approach is OK when the primary vaccine isn’t available or a different vaccine is preferred.

During the committee discussions, several members pushed back against this preference for boosting with the same vaccine. They argued that a more permissive approach to mix-and-match would ease the administration of booster doses.

The FDA authorizes Moderna and J&J COVID vaccine boosters

After a brief break late in the deliberations, CDC staff returned with revised voting questions that were neutral on which vaccine should be used as a booster for the J&J and Moderna vaccines. The revised questions don’t explicitly mention which vaccine should be used as a booster, which clears the way for mix-and-match boosting without restrictions.

According to the CDC, more than 189 million people in the U.S. are fully vaccinated, about 57% of the population. Hospitalization rates are nine to

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Pandemic increases mortality risk for people with mental health issues

Vera
Pandemic increases mortality risk for people with mental health issues
healthcare worker walking quickly through a hospital corridorShare on Pinterest
The pandemic increased mortality rates in people with mental health issues compared with people without. JGI/Tom Grill/Getty Images
  • A study finds that people with mental health issues or intellectual disabilities have been far more likely to die during the pandemic than others.
  • More people in these groups have died of COVID-19 and other causes.
  • There are likely several reasons for this disparity.

According to a new study, people in the U.K. with mental health issues and intellectual disabilities were at about twice the risk of dying than people without those conditions before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The study suggests this difference has increased dramatically during the pandemic, with people with mental health conditions and intellectual disabilities experiencing much higher death rates.

The current study considered “excess deaths,” a general category of deaths during a particular period compared with historical levels.

Says the study’s lead author, Dr. Jayati Das-Munshi of King’s College London in the United Kingdom:

“The results from our study paint a stark picture of how the existing vulnerability of those with mental health conditions and intellectual disabilities has worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. The higher death rates compared [with] the general population were associated with more deaths from [SARS-CoV-2] infection itself, as well as deaths from other causes.”

Dr. Thomas F. Betzler, executive clinical director of the Montefiore Behavioral Health Center in New York, who was not involved in the study, confirmed for Medical News Today that “many of our patients have similar issues.”

Dr. Das-Munshi says the study’s findings warrant a reappraisal of the groups understood to be at high risk of dying from COVID-19:

“People living with severe mental health conditions and intellectual disabilities should be considered a vulnerable group at risk of COVID-19 mortality — as well as deaths from other causes — throughout the pandemic. We suggest a need to prioritize vaccination and optimize physical healthcare and suicide risk reduction before, during, and after peaks of [SARS-CoV-2] infection in people living with mental health conditions.”

The study appears in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe.

The study’s analysis found an increased likelihood of dying among people with mental health issues and intellectual disabilities in the U.K. during the first COVID-19 lockdown compared with the general population.

Specifically, they found that:

  • People with intellectual disabilities were 9.24 times more likely to die of COVID-19.
  • People with eating disorders were 4.81 times
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How to Change up Your Workout Routine for Fall

Vera
How to Change up Your Workout Routine for Fall

Even if you’re not shuttling kids back to school or in a climate where autumn brings changing leaves and dropping temperatures, there tends to be a shift in our schedules and moods that comes with the start of fall, says Minneapolis-based Lindsay Ogden, a National Academy of Sports Medicine–certified personal trainer and the digital manager for content and coaching at for Life Time, a national fitness company that runs gyms and corporate wellness programs.

Fewer hours of daylight might find you spending less time outdoors, especially in the evenings or early morning hours. You might find yourself less motivated to stick with an outdoor workout, particularly if you had been exercising at one of these times, Ogden says. “Maybe it’s now dark when you get up.”

RELATED: What Sleep Docs Want You to Know About Turning the Clocks Back and Shorter Winter Days

Some people find themselves more energized to work out at new times throughout the day, she says. Or you might find yourself craving new ways to work out altogether. That “fresh start” feeling that comes with trying new activities can be really motivating, says Ogden.

The novelty can make it playful and fun — and something you look forward to rather than something you feel like you have to slog through.

Here are a few ideas of activities to try that can help you fit in lots of movement and embrace the change of season:

1. Apple Picking

Fall offers lots of outdoor activities to help you get a few extra steps in, from apple picking to navigating a corn maze to hiking or cycling.

Activities like these can up overall activity throughout the day and offer short bursts of intensity, says Ogden. For example, apple picking requires overhead stretching, as well as twists and forward bends (all good for maintaining mobility). A corn maze might inspire you to sprint through in a race with your friends and family.

RELATED: Mobility Exercises to Boost Your Health and Fitness

Getting different types of motion than you’d find in the gym can improve fitness overall, Ogden explains, since you’re using multiple muscle groups. Plus, she adds that being outdoors can give you an additional mental health boost.

“Wherever you are, think about ways to enjoy the season and truly embrace it,” Ogden suggests. Enjoying movement will make it feel less like work.

2. Fun Runs

Fall is definitely “fun

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Worried About Healthcare Bills? 3 Accounts Worth Saving In

Vera
Worried About Healthcare Bills? 3 Accounts Worth Saving In

It’s no secret that healthcare can be expensive. From insurance premiums to copays, the cost of caring for ourselves can be monumental. So it’s not surprising that 22% of respondents in a recent survey by the National Endowment for Financial Education said they’re worried about covering their medical costs. If you have similar concerns, here are three accounts to consider saving in for healthcare.

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1. A traditional savings account

It’s a good idea to have money in a savings account for emergencies. But you may also want to open a separate savings account for medical bills.

While healthcare costs can sometimes be an emergency, they should also be budgeted and saved for accordingly. And socking money away in the bank will give you the freedom to easily take withdrawals for medical bills as needed.

How much should you save for healthcare? A good bet is to go through your medical bills from the previous year and put in enough money to cover an equivalent set of bills. Also, if your health insurance plan charges a deductible — the amount of money you need to pay out of pocket before your insurer pays for your services — then aim to save at least that much money. In fact, socking away your deductible is a good goal for your emergency medical expense fund.

2. A flexible spending account

With a flexible spending account, or FSA, you allocate pre-tax dollars for healthcare bills. If you contribute $1,500 to an FSA, that’s $1,500 of income you won’t pay taxes on. But an FSA also requires you to accurately estimate your healthcare expenses for the year. If you allocate too much money to your FSA and don’t use it up within your plan year, you risk forfeiting the balance.

For the current year, FSAs max out at $2,750, and as of this writing, we don’t know what the maximum allowable contribution will be for 2022. You

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WHO and partners call for action to better protect health and care workers from COVID-19

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WHO and partners call for action to better protect health and care workers from COVID-19

The World Health Organization and partners[i] have issued an urgent call for concrete action to better protect health and care workers worldwide from COVID-19 and other health issues. 

The organizations are concerned that large numbers of health and care workers have died from COVID-19, but also that an increasing proportion of the workforce are suffering from burnout, stress, anxiety and fatigue.

In a Joint Statement issued this week, WHO and partners are calling
on all Member State governments and stakeholders to strengthen the monitoring and reporting of COVID-19 infections, ill-health and deaths among health and care workers. They should also include disaggregation by age, gender and occupation as a standard
procedure, to enable decision makers and scientists to identify and implement mitigation measures that will further reduce the risk of infections and ill-health.

The Statement also urges political leaders and policy makers to do all within their power to make regulatory, policy and investment decisions that ensure the protection of health and care workers. It highlights the opportunity to align this with a forthcoming
global health and care worker compact and the International Labour Organization’s call for a human-centered recovery from the COVID-19 crisis.

Finally, the partners call upon leaders and policy makers to ensure equitable access to vaccines so that health and care workers are prioritized in the uptake of COVID-19 vaccinations. Available data from 119 countries suggest that by September 2021,
2 in 5 health and care workers were fully vaccinated on average, with considerable difference across regions and economic groupings. Less than 1 in 10 have been fully vaccinated in the African region while 22 mostly high-income
countries reported that above 80% of their health and care workers are fully vaccinated. These rates only account for data reported to WHO through the standard mechanisms.

“We have a moral obligation to protect all health and care workers, ensure their rights and provide them with decent work in a safe and enabling practice environment. This must include access to vaccines”, said Jim Campbell, Director
of the WHO Health Workforce Department. “Beyond vaccines , economic recovery  and all new investments in emergency preparedness and response must prioritize  the education and employment of health and care workers, linking to the UN  Secretary-General’s
Global Accelerator for Jobs and Social Protection,” he added.

A new WHO working paper estimates
that between 80 000 to 180 000 health

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The 14 Best Fitness Trackers, Watches and Bands In 2021

Vera
The 14 Best Fitness Trackers, Watches and Bands In 2021

Staying in shape is hard work (and honestly, that can feel like a humble brag to anyone trying to get into shape in the first place). It’s especially hard to do on your own, without any help, coaching or encouragement. That’s why a lot of people turn to tech to keep themselves active and engaged in their personal health and fitness journey. A fitness tracker—whether it’s a fitness band or a smartwatch—can remind you to exercise, monitor your activity level during and after each workout and track your progress over time. The best fitness trackers are the next best thing to having your own personal trainer.

Choosing the right tracker can be daunting. Fitbit, the company that singled-handedly popularized the concept of fitness tracking, sells no fewer than seven different models on its own. And then there are fitness trackers from Samsung, Garmin, Amazfit and a dozen other companies. It pays to shop carefully, because not all trackers are designed for the kinds of exercise you want to do, and some have extra features, like smartphone notifications, heart rate monitoring, stress tracking and blood-oxygen level sensors.

No matter which fitness tracker you choose, there’s a good chance it’ll cover all the basics pretty well, but you might want extras like water resistance (great if you’re a swimmer), the ability to track stairs and built-in GPS so you don’t need to bring your phone along on a long run. We’ve rounded up 14 of the best fitness trackers you can buy today; no matter where you are on your fitness journey, there’s a model here for you.

Best Fitness Tracker Overall

Fitbit Inspire 2

The Fitbit Inspire 2 captures the flag as the best overall fitness tracker because it represents, in many ways, the template from which all other trackers are created. The Inspire 2 represents the culmination of everything Fitbit has learned about making wearables over the years, and includes pretty much everything the average person needs in a fitness tracker. It counts steps, distance and has sleep tracking features. It automatically recognizes when you’re doing a variety of common workouts and starts tracking—over 20 kinds of workouts in all. It’s waterproof to about 150 feet and you can wear it into a pool to track swim workouts.

The Inspire 2 replaces the older Inspire HR

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