Tag: covid-19

COVID Vax Mess

On By Catherine HausteinIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Do you ever get mad at people who voted for Trump? He said he was going to make a mess of our healthcare system, giving RFK permission to go wild about anything health related except oil.  And yes, it is a mess right now. Take for example, getting a COVID vaccine.

For a while, some states required a doctor’s permission to get a COVID vaccine. That restriction was removed this month. At least, I think so.

I don’t live in one of those states that formed a health alliance to counteract the madness. Anyone over 6 months of age can get a COVID shot there. So naturally, getting a COVID shot became a challenge for me, even though I am old enough. I asked about getting a COVID vaccine at my local Hy-Vee. They said they had no information but might in a month. Hy-Vee by the way has donated to politicians, including “mean Ken.”

I then called the pharmacy associated with my local hospital, PRH. They said they didn’t know what was going on. After all that happened with COVID, the CEO of PRH has donated to Republicans recently. 

However, I went to Costco in West Des Moines and got a COVID shot. I’m over 65 so eligible and had no trouble getting one, except that Costco was packed. 

I’m one of those people who so far doesn’t suffer much from COVID. I’m a teacher and exposed to many germs and have had frequent colds. Since COVID is a killer cold, it’s possible my body knows how to fight it. I had it once and thought it was just a weird fever. I had a test kit about to expire, I used it, and yes, it was COVID. I believe I might have had COVID once before, in February 2020. My research students and I felt “kinda weird” and although I never had a fever, I had strange dreams.

Sadly, the government is no longer offering free COVID tests. What they are offering is photos of Trump along with a theory that scientists don’t support. How unprofessional! And untrustworthy. And unhelpful, at least to the average citizen. I’m going to have a hard time trusting other information. There was even a little Fauci bashing on a government website. This kind of thing has gotten the CDC attacked and someone killed.

Even if you don’t get very sick, COVID persists in your body. It’s aging. It can promote heart disease. It can harm veins. Long COVID is most prominent in young people and women. It can even cause anemia and heavy, painful periods.

How to debunk COVID misinformation? There’s a study for that.

Here’s an example.

Myth: COVID doesn’t affect kids. 

Reality: Pediatric COVID is more common and harmful than people think! Memory problems and anxiety are some of the persistent symptoms. 

What isn’t a myth? This year, COVID confusion abounds. I wonder why? 

Midyear Science News

On By Catherine HausteinIn Uncategorized4 Comments

1.Many men wish to control their fertility, and a few new products might be on the market soon. Some work by changing hormone balance, including a cream, and a newly developed pill might block the gene that directs sperm production. The later has just passed human safety standards in clinical trials.

2. July was one of the worst flooding seasons in global history. At last 134 pople were killed in Texas, 34 in China,69 in the Himalayas, and in early August, hundreds were missing in Pakistan and India.  The chemistry of why flash flooding is getting worse is outlined here. “Though floods naturally occur, increased moisture and rising temperatures from climate change are in some cases supercharging storms. According to a study in Nature, between 2020 and 2100, the size of the global population exposed to flood hazards is estimated to increase by 15.8%.”

3. Uncontrolled rage has sweeping societal consequences. A new study confirms that childhood aggression that persists into adulthood can be caused by early trauma. “Trauma during childhood can alter brain circuits that regulate attention and impulse control, increasing the risk of pathological aggression and cognitive decline in adulthood.”

5. The mysterious Shroud of Turin has captivated Christians for a long time. Is it really the burial garment laid over Jesus following his crucifixion? Radiocarbon dating has been inconclusive.  Now, the art world steps forward to suggest that the image was made from a statue and not a body.

6. Trump is dismantling science in the US . Why do we have a government that no longer serves the people and our futures? Because this is the will of at least one political party. This story dominates much of the science news so far this year.

7. mRNA vaccines are being badmouthed for no good reason. A detailed analysis of their promises and mild perils is presented here.

8. As the saying goes, we are done with COVID but COVID is not done with us. Since the government no longer approves COVID vaccines for many of us despite CDC warnings, the pharmaceutical industry is coming up with a new anti-viral drug, ibuzatrelvir. (Perhaps not in time. The COVID Vaccine even faces a ban.)

Science News 2023: a dozen stories highlight the trivial and the profound

On By Catherine HausteinIn Uncategorized4 Comments

  1. German monks developed an easy to ship powdered beer. It’s environmentally friendly but at least for now, non-alcoholic.

   2. You get a pesky itch but your skin looks perfectly normal. Why?  Bacteria overgrowth may cause itching. A new study discovered Staphylococcus aureus can activate itch enzymes without causing inflammation.

    3. On a more serious note, a Sickle cell treatment has FDA approval.  The Sickle Cell mutation affects  hemoglobin and the blood’s ability to carry blood. It’s a painful, debilitating condition that shows up in adulthood. The new therapy is a gene editing technique and reverts red blood cells to their adolescent form. There is a catch for females. The treatment destroys egg cells and causes infertility.

    4. Vaccines have made the news more than once. An effective malaria vaccine is both safe and inexpensive. A new mRNA vaccine (the same type as the COVID vaccine) is being used to treat pancreatic cancer.  A vaccine to prevent RSV, respiratory syncytial virus, is now available to the public. Although it’s not new, studies have supported the safety and effectiveness about the HPV vaccine. Too bad Iowa schools have dropped teaching about it.

  5. If you are still soured on vaccines, even though the United States leads to world on COVID deaths, probiotics might ease COVID symptoms and enhance vaccine effectiveness in a variety of cases.

  6. Are you creeped out by public restrooms or bathrooms in general? A new silicone treatment creates a Slippery toilet bowl which repels bacteria.

   7. This past summer in the Northern Hemisphere was the hottest on record.

  8.  Iowa’s high cancer rate made the news. Our legislature’s response? To ban books.

 9. Plastic particles are everywhere, including in microwaved foods.

10. The year’s top extinctions– birds and mussels.

11. A new treatment for Muscular Dystrophy may make it a disease of the past. Children born with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a genetic disease, lose muscle power until they are unable to breathe or pump blood effectively.

12. India is the first country to land a spacecraft on the Dark Side of the Moon.

What stories caught your attention?