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FDA advisers urge targeting JN.1 strain in recipe for fall’s COVID vaccines

WASHINGTON (AP) — Government advisers Wednesday said it’s time to update the recipe for the COVID-19 vaccines Americans will receive in the fall — targeting a version of the ever-evolving coronavirus called JN.1. While COVID-19 cases currently are low, more surges are inevitable and manufacturers need time to brew shots for fall. Moderna, Pfizer and Novavax all have tested doses updated to match the JN.1 variant that became dominant last winter. But just a few months later, numerous offshoots of JN.1 already are on the rise, prompting Moderna and Pfizer to also test a slightly ...

Being a patient is getting harder in a strained and complex US health care system

Tamika Davis couldn’t nap on her couch during cancer treatment. She kept worrying one of her toddlers would wander over and pull out the needle delivering chemotherapy. Friends and family watched her kids when they could during her treatment last year for colon cancer. But Davis had gaps with no help because she couldn’t afford child care and didn’t know where to look for assistance. “I did not have the strength nor the energy to try to navigate these things myself,” the San Antonio, Texas, resident said. Patients are not getting enough help dealing with a healthcare ...

Generous donation brings lifesaving PulsePoint technology to Clinton County

LOCK HAVEN — Thanks to a generous donation from Clinton Country Club, 9 Irons and BSC Mechanical to Susquehanna Health Foundation, Clinton County residents will soon have access to new lifesaving tools: PulsePoint Respond and PulsePoint AED Registry smartphone apps. “I know our EMS ...

Seven little-known stroke symptoms in women

Every second counts when it comes to stroke treatment. That’s why it’s important to know and recognize the early signs. But women — who are at an increased risk — can have some symptoms that are harder to spot. Getting treatment within three hours of the first symptoms improves ...

Should a fever be treated or allowed to run its course?

DEAR DR. ROACH: Does taking a medicine to reduce fever hurt? I read that fever is useful for the body to fight off infections. — J.S. ANSWER: There is some experimental evidence that higher temperatures help the body kill bacteria and control virus infections, but the magnitude of the benefit is probably small. Fever is an ancient and near-universal response to infection across the animal kingdom, suggesting (but not proving) a benefit. Studies that compare treating people with fever versus letting the fever run its course haven’t shown a clear benefit to treatment. However, ...