Author: Maria Cheng
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Omicron may be headed for a rapid drop in U.S. and Britain
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WASHINGTON • Scientists are seeing signals that COVID-19’s alarming omicron wave might have peaked in Britain and is about to do the same in the U.S., at which point cases might start dropping off dramatically. The reason: The variant has proved so wildly contagious that it might be running out of people to infect, just…
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U.K. advises limiting AstraZeneca in under-30s amid clot worry
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LONDON • British authorities recommended Wednesday that the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine not be given to adults under 30 where possible because of strengthening evidence that the shot may be linked to rare blood clots. The recommendation came as regulators both in the United Kingdom and the European Union emphasized that the benefits of receiving the…
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After Trump complaints, WHO promises to review decisions on virus
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GENEVA • The head of the World Health Organization on Wednesday lamented the U.S. decision to halt funding for the U.N. agency, promising a review of its decisions while sidestepping President Donald Trump’s complaints about its alleged mismanagement, cover-up and missteps. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was on the defensive after Trump announced a halt…
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UN agency declares global emergency over virus from China
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GENEVA • The World Health Organization declared the outbreak sparked by a new virus in China that has spread to more than a dozen countries a global emergency after the number of cases spiked more than tenfold in a week, including the record number of deaths in 24 hours reported Friday. China counted 9,692 confirmed…
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UK says ex-spy poisoned with Soviet-developed nerve agent
LONDON — The use of Russian-developed nerve agent Novichok to poison ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter makes it “highly likely” that Russia was involved, British Prime Minister Theresa May said Monday. Novichok refers to a class of nerve agents developed in the Soviet Union near the end of the Cold War. The agents were…
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Blowing smoke? E-cigarettes might help smokers quit
People who used e-cigarettes were more likely to kick the habit than those who didn’t, a new study found. Nicotine patches, gums and medications are known to aid smoking cessation, but there’s no consensus on whether vaping devices can help anti-smoking efforts. The U.S. research is the largest look yet at electronic cigarette users and…
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London fire may have destroyed DNA needed to ID victims
LONDON — The devastating fire that struck a high-rise tower in London may have been so powerful that it destroyed much of the DNA evidence needed to identify its victims. As firefighters keep searching the charred ruins of the Grenfell Tower public housing complex with sniffer dogs and drones, Metropolitan Police commander Stuart Cundy said…
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Doctors warn against squatting in skinny jeans after woman is hospitalized
LONDON — Attention wearers of skinny jeans: don’t squat — at least not for long. Doctors in Australia report that a 35-year-old woman was hospitalized for four days after experiencing muscle damage, swelling, and nerve blockages in her legs after squatting for several hours while wearing tight-fitting denims. “We were surprised that this patient had…
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Test could predict which teen boys get depression
LONDON — A saliva test for teenage boys with mild symptoms of depression could help identify those who will later develop major depression, a new study says. Researchers measured the stress hormone cortisol in teenage boys and found that ones with high levels coupled with mild depression symptoms were up to 14 times more likely…
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Medical miracle not quite true: paralyzed Belgian can’t talk
LONDON — It was heralded as a medical miracle. After spending more than two decades in a vegetative state, Rom Houben, a Belgian man in his mid-40s, was suddenly able to communicate, news reports trumpeted last November. Other experts questioned the method that Houben was apparently using to communicate. The technique is known as “facilitated…