Category: COVID-19

COVID-19
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Cold/flu Season During Ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic

The change of the seasons is in full swing throughout the country, and the United States is heading towards another cold and flu season in the midst of an ongoing pandemic. Children returning to school (which are significant sites of COVID transmission) amid the dangerous politicization of public health attempts to increase vaccination rates and promote mitigation measures such as masks and social distancing has created a risk-filled environment for many across the country.   It is vital to know the difference between symptoms for viral conditions such as a cold, the flu, and COVID-19. All three are spread in […]

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COVID-19
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The Hidden Health Consequences of COVID

This article originally appeared on BeMedWise. An up-to-date version can be found here.   COVID-19 has left its mark in more ways than the number  of COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, deaths, and long-term consequences indicate. While the COVID-19 pandemic is having a direct detrimental effect on public health, the economy, and our social lives, there are many indirect medical consequences as well.    In 2021, the death rate in the United States was the highest it has ever been — especially in the 15-44 age range. While the death rates for cancer, diabetes, chronic liver disease, and stroke rose slightly, deaths […]

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COVID-19, Healthcare Reform
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Increasing COVID Costs for Uninsured Could Fuel Next Surge

We have been discussing the costs associated with COVID-19 for nearly two years. Earlier this year, we covered how the ongoing pandemic has affected employment and insurance status of millions of Americans. Now federal funds for vaccines, testing, and treatment of the novel coronavirus have run out and additional funding has failed to pass through Congress, leaving the 28 million uninsured Americans responsible for paying the costs themselves.   For most of the public health crisis even uninsured patients could receive free preventative vaccines, tests to detect the coronavirus, and treatment if infected. Unfortunately, this information hadn’t been widely circulated […]

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BeMedWise, COVID-19
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Politics Affect Interpretation of COVID Science, Prolong Pandemic

This article originally appeared on BeMedWise. An up-to-date version can be found here. The response to COVID-19 is still a political issue and the resulting division between political parties within the United States has persisted and is still having an adverse effect on the pandemic. The division began almost as soon as the presence of the novel coronavirus was confirmed in this country.   Much of this division was the result of some politicians downplaying the pandemic for political reasons by giving false information: it doesn’t look good to voters to have a major pandemic during your term in office. Another […]

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BeMedWise, COVID-19
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COVID-19: Omicron Variant and Beyond

This article originally appeared on BeMedWise. An up-to-date version can be found here. Omicron BA.1 has had a major impact on the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the multiple differences from the Delta variant, the Omicron variant has prolonged and intensified the pandemic, made COVID more difficult to treat, and reduced the effectiveness of currently available coronavirus vaccines and infections from previous variants to prevent further spreading and disease. A new Omicron variant, BA.2, has now entered the picture, although its impact on the epidemic is as yet unknown. The good news is that both Omicron variants are generally milder illnesses. […]

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About Us

Welcome to the NeedyMeds Voice! We look forward to presenting you with timely, provocative pieces on healthcare reform, patient advocacy, medication and healthcare access, and other health-related news. Our goals are to educate, enlighten, and elucidate; together, we will try to make sense of the myriad and ongoing healthcare-related changes in the U.S. today.