February 3, 2022 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• COVID brain fog linked to changes in spinal fluid (10 News)
• The coronavirus vaccines are safer than aspirin or Tylenol (The Week)
• When can babies and kids under age 5 get their shots? Here's the timeline (NPR)
• U.S. Army begins to discharge soldiers who refuse COVID-19 vaccination (NPR)
• How blood from Wally the llama could treat omicron and future variants (10 News)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• IRS plan to scan your face prompts anger in Congress, confusion among taxpayers (Washington Post)
• Facebook loses users for the first time in its history (Washington Post)

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December 23, 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 authorizes first antiviral pill for COVID-19 (NPR) 
• Omicron is now the dominant COVID strain in the U.S., making up 73% of new infections : Coronavirus Updates  (NPR)
• Fauci warns some at-home tests may not detect Omicron variant as Covid cases spike across US (UK Independent)
• Vaccine protection vs. omicron infection may drop to 30% but does cut severe disease (NPR)
• Federal appeals court reinstates Biden COVID-19 vaccine-or-testing mandate for large employers (USA Today)
• COVID can lead to lasting harm to the brain, scientists find (NPR) 
• A tantalizing clue to why omicron is spreading so quickly (NPR)  
• Study shows dramatic decline in effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines (Los Angeles Times)
• Supreme Court upholds New York's vaccine mandate for health care workers  (NPR)
• Judge Overturns Purdue Pharma’s Opioids Settlement (NY Times)
• F.D.A. Will Permanently Allow Abortion Pills by Mail (New York Times)
• Dogs get cancer, too. This San Diego biotech is trying to catch canine tumors earlier (San Diego Union-Tribune)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• France orders Clearview AI to delete the selfie data it gathered (DIY Photography)
• ICO issues £17 million fine to facial recognition firm Clearview AI - and orders cessation of processing personal data (Lexology)

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November 11, 2021 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Pfizer says its COVID-19 pill cuts disease's worst risks by 89% (NPR)
• The C.D.C. adds mental health conditions to its high-risk Covid list. (New York Times)
• This New Test Can Detect 50 Types of Cancer from a Single Blood Draw (Healthline)
• Surgical masks reduce COVID-19 spread, large-scale study shows (Stanford Medicine)
• Cannabis vaping among teens has grown sharply in recent years  (NPR)
• Scientists used a tiny brain implant to help a blind teacher see letters again (NPR)
• How SARS-CoV-2 in American deer could alter the course of the global pandemic (NPR)
• Lung Transplant Patient and Father of 18 Encourages First Responders to get COVID-19 Vaccine (NBC San Diego)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• Facebook Renames Itself Meta (New York Times)
• European Parliament Calls for Bans on AI-based Biometric Recognition in Public Spaces, Predictive Policing, and Social Scoring (Privacy News Online)
• Facebook to delete users' facial-recognition data after privacy complaints (NPR)

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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)

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ly 23, 2021 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Persistent vaccine myths (KFF)
• The New COVID Panic(Slate)
• Guillain-Barré and Vaccines: What You Need to Know (New York Times)
• The U.S. Surgeon General Is Calling COVID-19 Misinformation An 'Urgent Threat' (NPR)
• Virus Cases Start To Rise Again, Especially Where Vaccination Rates Lag (NPR) 

SCIENCE AND TECH

• Google Maps accused of offering 'potentially fatal' hiking routes (CNN)
• Hacking group behind widespread ransomware attacks disappears online (Washington Post)
• The USPS' Semi-Secret Internet Surveillance Apparatus (Reason)

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June 14, 2021 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Organ transplant patients may benefit from third Covid-19 vaccine dose to boost antibodies, study suggests (CNN)
• Doctors using 3D printers to help babies with spina bifida who haven't even been born yet (10 News)
• Just 12 People Are Behind Most Vaccine Hoaxes On Social Media, Research Shows (NPR)
• CDC probes rare cases of heart inflammation in vaccinated teens, young adults (Washington Post)
• Sackler Family Empire Poised To Win Immunity From Opioid Lawsuits (NPR)
• Syria Bombs Hospitals. Now It Will Help Lead The World Health Organization (NPR)

SCIENCE & TECH

• What causes the Northern Lights? Scientists now know for sure (NPR)
• Major internet outage impacts websites and apps around the world (CNN)
• Tiny creature comes back to life after 24,000 years in Siberian deep freeze (Reuters)
• Trump’s blog failed, bigly. His next online venture won’t be any easier. (Politico)
• Should the police have facial recognition tech?  (QZ)
• Tech giants and tax havens targeted by historic G7 deal (Reuters)
• National Geographic Adds 5th Ocean to World Map (NBC San Diego)

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May 11, 2021 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• He Bought Health Insurance for Emergencies. Then He Fell Into a $33,601 Trap. (Pro Publica)
• New analysis finds global Covid death toll is double official estimates (StatNews)
• Promising results vs. COVID variants from Moderna, Pfizer vaccines  (CBS)
• Vaccinations mean hugs and kisses are back on tap this Mother’s Day (San Diego Union-Tribune)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• These electric self-driving tractors could make farming much greener (CNN)
• Elon Musk reveals he has Asperger's on Saturday Night Live (BBC)
• Debris from Chinese space rocket booster lands in Indian Ocean, China reports (Washington Post)

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February 7, 2021 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• US children will 'hopefully' get vaccines in late spring or early summer, says Fauci (Guardian)
• The Differences Between the Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson Coronavirus Vaccines Explained (KQED)
• Sociopathic traits linked to not wearing a mask or social distancing during pandemic: study (CNBC)
• J&J files COVID-19 vaccine application with U.S. FDA (Reuters)
  
  5 Hacks And Tips To Make Your Face Mask More Protective (NPR)
• Trump White House donated 8,700 ventilators to other nations. Officials now don’t know where many of them are, watchdog finds. (Washington Post)
• South African scientists discover new chemicals that kill malaria parasite (Reuters)
  
  While COVID is raging, flu cases remain unusually low (Healthline)
• Gut bacteria tied to disease severity, immune response; high mental health toll seen in ICUs )Reuters)
• Hackers leak "manipulated" Covid-19 vaccine data to undermine public trust (Techspoit)
• Three Most Dangerous Underlying Conditions for COVID-19 (AARP)
• In pandemic, more people choose to die at home (AP)

SCIENCE

• As Jeff Bezos steps down, Amazon stakes its future on the cloud (CNN)
• Exclusive: Suspected Chinese hackers used SolarWinds bug to spy on U.S. payroll agency – sources (Reuters)
• Fast-Growing Alternative To Facebook And Twitter Finds Post-Trump Surge 'Messy' (NPR)

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January 17, 2021 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Post-COVID lungs worse than the worst smokers' lungs, surgeon says (CBS)
• Federal COVID-19 reserve is now empty, prompting angry reponses (The Hill)
• Trump tries to claw back billions from COVID-19 distributor (Ars Technica)
• Adequate Levels of Vitamin D Reduces Complications, Death Among COVID-19 Patients (Boston University School of Medicine)
• 240 Israelis found with COVID after vaccination, underscoring need for vigilance (Times of Israel)
• Brazil researchers report disappointing 50.4% efficacy for China's CoronaVac vaccine (Reuters)
• South Africa COVID strain: what you need to know (CNBC)

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• Look, up in the sky - it's a flying Cadillac! GM unveils futuristic vehicle (Reuters)
  
  
  
  Amazon Is Booting Parler Off Of Its Web Hosting Service (Buzzfeed)
• Google Play suspends Parler for failure to moderate posts that incite violence  (CBS)
• PayPal and Shopify remove Trump-related accounts, citing policies against supporting violence (CNet)
•  Facebook bans Trump from posting for remainder of his term in office (CNN)
• Twitter permanently bans Trump (CBS)
• Parler CEO says social media app, favored by Trump supporters, may not return  Reuters)

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December 5,  2020 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Already had the coronavirus? You could get it again. (National Geographic)
• Explainer-When and how will COVID-19 vaccines become available? (Reuters)
• ‘They’ve been following the science’: How the Covid-19 pandemic has been curtailed in Cherokee Nation  (Stat News)
• FDA Grants Emergency Authorization For A 2nd COVID-19 Antibody Treatment (NPR)
• OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma pleads guilty to criminal charges (Reuters)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• Virus-killing robot zaps airport viruses as pandemic travel picks up (Washington Post)
• E-scooters are getting computer vision to curb pedestrian collisions (Washington Post)
• Biden, top Democrats lay groundwork for multibillion-dollar push to boost U.S. broadband (Washington Post)
• Apple’s head of global security indicted on bribery charges (Washington Post)

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October 28,  2020 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Biden slams White House statement taking credit for ‘ending’ coronavirus pandemic (Fox)
• OxyContin maker Purdue to plead guilty over opioid practices, deal sparks opposition (Reuters)
• CDC Reduces Consecutive Minutes Of COVID-19 Exposure Needed To Be A 'Close Contact' : Coronavirus Live Updates  (NPR)
• New USDA Ruling Allows for Chicken to Be Produced From Diseased Birds (MSN)
• Johnson & Johnson, Eli Lilly Pause COVID-19 Drug Trials  (NPR)
• The Swedish COVID-19 Response Is a Disaster. It Shouldn’t Be a Model for the Rest of the World (Time)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• More Companies Are Using Technology To Monitor For Coronavirus In The Workplace  (NPR)
• Apple, Google and a Deal That Controls the Internet (New York Times)
• Pair of studies confirm there is water on the moon’s surface and hint at widespread lunar ice (Washington Post)
• Anika Chebrolu just discovered a potential covid-19 treatment. She’s 14. (Washington Post)

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September 18,  2020 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• HHS chief overrode FDA officials to ease testing rules (Politico)
• Past vaccine disasters show why rushing a coronavirus vaccine now would be 'colossally stupid' (Los Angeles Times)
• Will COVID-19 become a seasonal illness? (Healthline – Jamie Reno)
• Coronavirus-related deaths of young teachers raise alarm as new school year begins (CBS)

SCIENCE & TECH

• Two major Antarctic glaciers are tearing loose from their restraints, scientists say (Washington Post)
• In rare bipartisan climate agreement, senators forge plan to slash use of potent greenhouse gas (Washington Post)
• US banning use of WeChat, TikTok for national security (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Cooling off without air-conditioning (Washington Post)
• Potential sign of alien life detected on inhospitable Venus (Reuters)
  
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August 13,  2020 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• More Than Half of COVID-19 Survivors in Study Reported Psychiatric Disorders (Eco Watch)
• Researchers trained dogs to sniff out COVID-19 infections in just days (CBS)
• Nasal spray approved for treating suicidal people (Medical Xpress)
• 4 million people in the U.S. have tested positive for the coronavirus (NPR)
• Lawsuits over face coverings: What to know about the ADA and rules for businesses (10 News)
• Pfizer, U.S. Reach $1.95 Billion Coronavirus Vaccine Deal : Coronavirus Live Updates   (NPR)
• Dr. Anthony Fauci says he and his family have been receiving ‘serious threats’ (CNBC)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• Florida Teenager Is Charged as ‘Mastermind’ of Twitter Hack (New York Times)
• NASA officials hold news conference following historic splashdown (Washington Post)
• Antarctic ice sheet collapse could add 3 meters to sea-level rise (Science Mag)

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By Robert Gehr

Photography: Robert Gehr

July 23, 2020 (El Cajon) -- On my walk this morning, I noticed two businesses in downtown El Cajon closed and nearly emptied of furnishings.  Both Rock a Betties Beauty Salon and Thrill Seekers have closed these locations, with rent signs in the windows.

Thrill Seekers, a retail establishment at 164 East Main Street, still has a website. A second location at 1421 Woodside Ave. Suite C, Santee remains open for customers. The owner of Thrill Seekers told ECM's editor that relocating to Santee was not related to the pandemic and that his business is "doing just fine."

State and county mandated closures due to the COVID-19 epidemic may have played a role in the permanent loss of Rock A Betties Beauty Salon at 158 E. Main St. El Cajon, a long-time fixture in the community. The shop has has taken its website down and the phone is disconnected.

July 17,  2020 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Trump administration orders hospitals to bypass CDC in reporting COVID-19 data (CBS)
• Federal Disaster Medical Teams Deployed As Texas Coronavirus Cases Surge (Newsweek)
• COVID Vaccine Front-Runner Is Months Ahead of Her Competition  (Bloomberg)
• Nearly half of coronavirus spread may be traced to people with no syptoms (Time)
• Stress Caused by COVID-19 May Have Triggered Rise in Broken Heart Syndrome (Newsweek)
• Nearly one-third of children tested for COVID in Florida are positive. Palm Beach County’s health director warns of risk of long-term damage (Sun Sentinel)
• What happens if Covid-19 symptoms don’t go away? Doctors are trying to figure it out. (Vox)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• TikTok May Make Changes to Distance Itself from China amid U.S. Pressure (Newsweek)
• 'Odd' Circles of Radio Waves Coming from Unknown Cosmic Source Discovered (Newsweek)

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