HEALTH AND SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS

September 30, 2021 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• FDA panel backs Pfizer booster shots for elderly and others at high risk (Los Angeles Times)
• COVID-19 at school? 2 in 3 parents support mask mandates as many worry kids will get very sick (USA Today)
• Young adult cannabis consumers nearly twice as likely to suffer from a heart attack, research shows (CNN)
• Babies, The Delta Variant And COVID: What Parents Need To Know (NPR)
• Why some COVID-19 infections may be free of symptoms but not free of harm (National Geographic)
• FBI warns about penalties for making, using fake COVID-19 vaccination cards (CBS ECMH)
• US Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient, dies of treatable illness waiting for ICU bed in 5 states –(CNN)
• South Africa identifies new COVID-19 variant (Beckers Hospital Review)
• Each COVID-19 surge poses a risk for healthcare workers: PTSD (Reuters)
• Philip Morris Is Buying An Asthma Inhaler Company. Health Groups Are Suspicious  (NPR)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• 'Dead Sea Scrolls' at the Museum of the Bible are all forgeries (National Geographic)
• Exclusive-Google locks Afghan government accounts as Taliban seek emails -source (Reuters)
• Ready to say goodbye to passwords? Users will no longer need one for Microsoft accounts (USA Today)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

HEALTH

FDA panel backs Pfizer booster shots for elderly and others at high risk (Los Angeles Times)

The panel rejected a proposal that was much more sweeping in scope after questioning the value of offering boosters to nearly everyone.

COVID-19 at school? 2 in 3 parents support mask mandates as many worry kids will get very sick (USA Today)

U.S. parents are eager for kids to return to school, but they're concerned their children will get seriously ill if they catch COVID-19. A strong majority support requiring masks and teacher vaccinations amid a surge in pediatric cases. Parents are more skeptical of online learning than they were last school year, according to a new USA TODAY/Ipsos poll …Roughly 2 in 3 Americans – parents and non-parents alike – are in favor of schools or states implementing mask mandates for teachers and students….Respondents are similarly in favor of requiring teachers and other school employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19: 65% of all participants – and 56% of parents – say they support such mandates. 

Young adult cannabis consumers nearly twice as likely to suffer from a heart attack, research shows (CNN)

Whether you smoke it, vape it or eat it as an edible, cannabis may be significantly increasing your risk of a heart attack. Adults under 45 years old, who consumed cannabis within the last 30 days, suffered from nearly double the number of heart attacks than adults who didn't use the drug, according to research published Tuesday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. ….Researchers analyzed health data from over 33,000 adults ages 18 to 44 included in US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surveys in 2017 and 2018. Of the 17% of adults who reported using cannabis within the previous month, 1.3% later had a heart attack while only 0.8% of non-cannabis users reported the same.

Babies, The Delta Variant And COVID: What Parents Need To Know (NPR)

…the rate of new cases of COVID-19 among babies and children younger than 4 years old in the U.S. recently surpassed the rate of new cases among adults older than 65, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (although the number of deaths among the children remains very low)… Here's a guide to the latest science — and some practical advice — on how to protect a new baby from all variants of the coronavirus.

Why some COVID-19 infections may be free of symptoms but not free of harm (National Geographic)

Scientists are studying the potential consequences of asymptomatic COVID-19 and how many people may suffer long term health problems.

FBI warns about penalties for making, using fake COVID-19 vaccination cards (CBS ECMH)

…The DOJ said that misrepresenting the official seal of a U.S. agency, like the CDC logo on vaccine cards, could be a violation of federal law. Violators could face up to five years in prison or a $5,000 fine.

US Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient, dies of treatable illness waiting for ICU bed in 5 states –(CNN)

Daniel Wilkinson, a US Army veteran, died from a treatable illness after being unable to find an ICU bed in five different states, his mother tells CNN's Brianna Keilar.

South Africa identifies new COVID-19 variant (Beckers Hospital Review)



Researchers have identified a new COVID-19 variant called C.1.2. in South Africa that appears to have similar mutations as other variants of concern, according to research published Aug. 26 …

Each COVID-19 surge poses a risk for healthcare workers: PTSD (Reuters)

The surging Delta variant is heaping on fresh trauma as the United States and other nations begin to study PTSD in health workers. Data already showed that U.S. health workers were in crisis before COVID-19…. Pre-pandemic studies showed that rates of PTSD in front-line health workers varied from 10% to 50%. The suicide rate among doctors was more than twice that of the general public. The American Medical Association (AMA) has tapped a military psychologist and the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) National Center for PTSD to help it measure the pandemic’s impact.

Philip Morris Is Buying An Asthma Inhaler Company. Health Groups Are Suspicious  (NPR)

Philip Morris International is buying British pharmaceutical firm Vectura in a deal that will see a company synonymous with Big Tobacco taking over a firm that makes asthma inhalers. The American Lung Association, Asthma UK and other health groups have spoken out against the takeover…"We are deeply concerned that PMI will use the inhalation services technologies developed by Vectura to make their tobacco products more addictive," they said. "We are also deeply troubled that this company could further profit from the disease their products have caused by now selling therapies to the same people who were sickened by smoking PMI cigarettes."

SCIENCE AND TECH

'Dead Sea Scrolls' at the Museum of the Bible are all forgeries (National Geographic)

Months of testing confirm earlier suspicions that the fragments were made in modern times. What happens next?

Exclusive-Google locks Afghan government accounts as Taliban seek emails -source (Reuters)



Google has temporarily locked down an unspecified number of Afghan government email accounts, according to a person familiar with the matter, as fears grow over the digital paper trail left by former officials and their international partners.

Ready to say goodbye to passwords? Users will no longer need one for Microsoft accounts (USA Today)

…Users can choose between downloading the Microsoft Authenticator app; a security key; a verification code sent to your phone or secondary email address; or Windows Hello, a biometric option that involves scanning your face, iris or fingerprint. With the Authenticator app, for example, users get notified on their smartphone during a login attempt, and receive a prompt confirming their identity. Vasu Jakkal, corporate vice president for security, compliance and identity at Microsoft, said in the blog post that the new option tackles two problems: complex passwords people can't remember and passwords that do not offer enough security because they're too simple.