HEALTH AND SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS

February 17, 2022 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• As BA.2 subvariant of Omicron rises, lab studies point to signs of severity (CNN)
• In-Depth: How COVID can cause fertility issues and erectile dysfunction (10 News)
• E-cigarettes were less effective than gum and other nicotine replacement aids, study says (CNN)
• Chris Crouch was anti-vaccine. Now his pregnant wife had covid, and he faced a terrible choice. (Washington Post)
• Coronavirus vaccine for young children delayed as FDA waits for more data (Washington Post)
• Heart-disease risk soars after COVID — even with a mild case (Nature)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• Contractor to drop facial recognition requirement after backlash over IRS plan (Washington Post)
• Apple outlines plan to make its AirTag trackers easier to find
• Tesla to recall cars that may roll past stop signs (BBC)

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

HEALTH

As BA.2 subvariant of Omicron rises, lab studies point to signs of severity (CNN)

The BA.2 virus -- a subvariant of the Omicron coronavirus variant -- isn't just spreading faster than its distant cousin, it may also cause more severe disease and appears capable of thwarting some of the key weapons we have against Covid-19…New lab experiments from Japan show that BA.2 may have features that make it as capable of causing serious illness as older variants of Covid-19, including Delta. And like Omicron, it appears to largely escape the immunity created by vaccines. A booster shot restores protection, making illness after infection about 74% less likely. BA.2 is also resistant to some treatments, including sotrovimab, the monoclonal antibody that's currently being used against Omicron

In-Depth: How COVID can cause fertility issues and erectile dysfunction (10 News)

Scientists have repeatedly demonstrated that the COVID-19 vaccines do not cause fertility issues, but mounting research shows the virus itself can.

E-cigarettes were less effective than gum and other nicotine replacement aids, study says (CNN)

People using e-cigarettes to quit smoking found them to be less helpful than more traditional smoking cessations aids, a new study found. The study, published Monday in the journal BMJ, analyzed the latest 2017 to 2019 data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study, which follows tobacco use among Americans over time.

Chris Crouch was anti-vaccine. Now his pregnant wife had covid, and he faced a terrible choice. (Washington Post)

‘You are not going to die,’ he said, making a vow he wasn’t sure he could keep.

Coronavirus vaccine for young children delayed as FDA waits for more data (Washington Post)

The delay means it could be mid-April at the earliest before shots are available.

Heart-disease risk soars after COVID — even with a mild case (Nature)

Massive study shows a long-term, substantial rise in risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart attack and stroke, after a SARS-CoV-2 infection.

SCIENCE AND TECH

Contractor to drop facial recognition requirement after backlash over IRS plan (Washington Post)

The decision came days after a firestorm of criticism forced the IRS to abandon plans to require all taxpayers to use the ID.me service.

Apple outlines plan to make its AirTag trackers easier to find

Apple outlined a series of changes designed to dial down AirTags' potential for abuse. Here's what will change and when.

Tesla to recall cars that may roll past stop signs (BBC)

Tesla is recalling nearly 54,000 vehicles because a software feature lets them roll through stop signs. The company will issue an over-the-air software update that disables the Full Self-Driving Beta (FSDB) "rolling stop" function.