How can I tell the difference between the flu and COVID-19? It’s impossible to tell without a test. Influenza and COVID-19 have such similar symptoms, you may need to get tested to know what’s making you miserable. Body aches, sore throat, fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue and headaches are symptoms shared by the two. […]

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) Uninsured New Yorkers can now apply for health insurance coverage through the end of the year in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday those people can apply for coverage through New York’s health insurance marketplace or directly through insurers. The special enrollment period will run through Dec. 31. […]

By LAURAN NEERGAARDAP Medical Writer The top U.S. infectious disease expert said AstraZeneca’s suspension of final testing of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate shows “one of the safety valves” built into the studies to spot any potential problems. “It’s unfortunate that it happened and hopefully they’ll be able to proceed along with the remainder of the […]

By Marilynn MarchioneAP Chief Medical Writer New studies confirm that multiple types of steroids improve survival for severely ill COVID-19 patients, cementing the cheap drugs as a standard of care. An analysis of pooled results from seven studies, led by the World Health Organization and published Wednesday by the Journal of the American Medical Association, […]

By Mark StevensonAssociated Press NEW YORK (AP)  A meeting at a hotel in Boston last February may have ignited the spread of the pandemic virus to some 19,000 people in the area, a new study suggests. Health authorities had previously linked the meeting to more than 90 cases among people at the meeting and their […]

NEW YORK (AP) New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo responded Wednesday to an Associated Press report that his state’s coronavirus death toll in nursing homes could be a significant undercount, saying it makes sense to include only those residents who died on the home’s property. Unlike the federal government and every other state with major outbreaks, […]

By Seth Borenstein AP Science Writer WASHINGTON (AP) The Trump Administration wants to change the definition of a showerhead to let more water flow, addressing a pet peeve of the president who complains he isn’t getting wet enough. Publicly talking about the need to keep his hah “perfect,” President Donald Trump has made increasing water […]

NEW YORK (AP) A judge correctly struck down a new Department of Homeland Security rule that went into effect earlier this year denying green cards to legal immigrants who use Medicaid, food stamps and other forms of public assistance, an appeals court said Tuesday. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld an October ruling […]

By Darlene Superville Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) The Trump administration will pay Pfizer nearly $2 billion for a December delivery of 100 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine the pharmaceutical company is developing, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced Wednesday. The U.S. could buy another 500 million doses under the agreement, Azar said. […]

By Carla K. Johnson AP Medical Writer Nearly 71,000 Americans died of drug overdoses last year, a new record that predates the COVID-19 crisis, which the White House and many experts believe will drive such deaths even higher. Preliminary numbers released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show the trend is driven […]