HEALTH AND SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS

August 31, 2021 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• CDC study shows unvaccinated people are 29 times more likely to be hospitalized with Covid (CNBC)
• Covid-19 hospitalization risk doubles with Delta variant, UK study suggests (CNN)
• As Children's COVID Cases Surge, There's Another Virus On The Rise (NPR)
• Judge: Norwegian cruises can require proof of vaccination (ABC)
• Hospitals still not protected from dangerous vulnerabilities (Help Net Security)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• U.N. climate change report sounds 'code red for humanity' (Reuters)
• Computer Models Of Civilization Offer Routes To Ending Global Warming (NPR)
• .Is Amazon heading to shopping malls? Online giant plans to open department stores, reports say (USA Today)
• NHTSA investigating Tesla autopilot crashes, fatalities (Car and Driver)

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

HEALTH

CDC study shows unvaccinated people are 29 times more likely to be hospitalized with Covid (CNBC)

Unvaccinated people are about 29 times more likely to be hospitalized with Covid-19 than those who are fully vaccinated, according to a study released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Covid-19 hospitalization risk doubles with Delta variant, UK study suggests (CNN)

A new study adds to growing evidence suggesting that the Delta coronavirus variant is not only highly transmissible, but also more dangerous. Covid-19 patients infected with the Delta variant had about double the risk of hospitalization compared to those infected with the Alpha variant, according to the study published Friday in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases.

As Children's COVID Cases Surge, There's Another Virus On The Rise (NPR)

Early versions of COVID-19 largely spared children but the delta variant proved to be much less discriminating, and has led to more child hospitalizations. Now, health care workers on the front lines say there is another frightening prospect looming: a surge in children diagnosed with a combination of COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus...a respiratory virus that mostly manifests as a mild illness with cold-like symptoms in adults but that can cause pneumonia and bronchiolitis in very young children. The CDC reports it can be life-threatening in infants and young adults.

Judge: Norwegian cruises can require proof of vaccination (ABC)

A federal judge has temporarily blocked a Florida law that prevents cruise lines from requiring passengers to prove they’re vaccinated against COVID-19, saying the law appears unconstitutional and won’t likely hold up in court.

Hospitals still not protected from dangerous vulnerabilities (Help Net Security)

A recent report from HHS cited a total of 82 ransomware incidents so far this year worldwide with 60% of them impacting the United States health sector. Recent headlines from notorious gangs such as REvil or Conti contribute to the impact where hospitals now account for 30% of all large data breaches and at an estimated cost of $21 billion in 2020 alone.

SCIENCE AND TECH

U.N. climate change report sounds 'code red for humanity' (Reuters)



Global warming is dangerously close to spiraling out of control, a U.N. climate panel said in a landmark report Monday, warning the world is already certain to face further climate disruptions for decades, if not centuries, to come.

Computer Models Of Civilization Offer Routes To Ending Global Warming (NPR)

As the world's top climate scientists released a report full of warnings this week, they kept insisting that the world still has a chance to avoid the worst effects of climate change.

Is Amazon heading to shopping malls? Online giant plans to open department stores, reports say (USA Today)

Might Amazon make another push into the physical retail space? The tech giant plans to open several large physical locations in the U.S. that are similar to department stores, reports The Wall Street Journal. Citing "people familiar with the matter," the report said the new spaces will span 30,000 square feet and carry items from top consumer brands. For perspective, department stores typically take up 100,000 square feet, the report said.

NHTSA investigating Tesla autopilot crashes, fatalities (Car and Driver)

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is looking at 11 crashes in nine states, but 765,000 Tesla Model Y, Model X, Model S and Model 3 electric vehicles could be affected by a possible future recall.  This preliminary evaluation is focused on Tesla vehicles that crashed at scenes where first responders were active, often in the dark, with either Autopilot or Traffic Aware Cruise Control engaged.