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While the U.S. Congress seems likely to push through a massive $900 billion stimulus plan as soon as today, researchers are starting to crunch the numbers when it comes to the total damage done to the U.S. economy due to the COVID-19 outbreak. For example, according to a new study conducted by researchers at the University of Southern California, the U.S. economy lost between $3.2 trillion and $4.8 trillion in real gross domestic product (GDP) over the course of two years.

Another open season has come and gone in which eligible Americans could choose from a narrow array of federally subsidized health care plans under the Affordable Care Act. Despite the ACA’s manifest gaps and failures, a recent poll from the left-leaning Kaiser Family Foundation found that a solid majority—55%—of respondents have a favorable perception of the law. That result may be due in part to a feature of the law most have heard about and support: its ban on private insurers denying coverage for preexisting conditions. The ACA is much more than that provision, however. By almost any measure, the...

Kamala Harris wants to take away your private health insurance and replace it with some awful version of health insurance administered by the federal government. Why is this a bad idea? In the automobile insurance industry, all customers of a carrier pay into a large pool. Those who tap the insurance company’s resources as a result of mounting claims, due to accidents and poor driving, experience a rate increase. Good Behavior, Disproportionate RewardGood drivers can maintain low rates for the duration of their driving lives, but even good drivers, among a larger pool of drivers at the state level, still...

Looking for food recommendations and recipes to help. Any recommendations for pain, etc. Just diagnosed. More tests to follow from a specialist (when I can get in).

A new study makes a startling claim: You have a higher risk of dying from coronavirus if you are poor. A New Study People residing in Scotland’s poorest regions have a higher chance of dying from the novel coronavirus compared to those living in more affluent areas, according to a new study conducted by researchers at the University of Edinburgh and University of Glasgow. Considered the first nationwide study of its kind and published in the journal The Lancet Regional Health—Europe, the research also discovered that patients from the most economically disadvantaged regions were more at risk of intensive care...

Slams U.S. reliance on China as an attack on America’s Christian foundation.. A top ranking Catholic Cardinal has warned that the COVID-19 pandemic is being exploited by proponents of “The Great Reset” to “advance their evil agenda.” Cardinal Raymond Burke, one of the most powerful Catholics in the United States, gave a homily in which he savaged “secular forces” who want to “make us slaves to their godless and murderous agenda.” “Then there is the mysterious Wuhan virus about whose nature and prevention the mass media daily give us conflicting information,” said Burke. “What is clear, however, is that it...

Is President Trump, Rudy Giuliani, or any other individual infected with COVID-19 susceptible to reinfection? While there are a few scattered reports, the real question is how much of our immune response persists. A new study provides updated information.

The universal feel-good elixir expresses itself deliciously from culture to culture.It’s rare that a dish appears in cuisines all over the world. Chicken soup — the global feel-better elixir — is one of them. Soothing and comforting at a time when so many Americans are ailing from a pandemic or smarting from bruising political battles, it is this season’s perfect panacea. Chicken soup can celebrate what so many of us have in common: When someone sniffles, moms and grandmas (and increasingly pops and grandpas) around the globe drop chicken in water with aromatics and simmer away. At the same...

A Nobel peace prize nominee has accused the director-general of the World Health Organisation of allegedly aiding genocide in Ethiopia. American economist David Steinman accused WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, 55, of being a 'crucial decision maker' who directed Ethiopia's security forces actions from 2013 to 2015. He accused Tedros of being one of three officials who were in charge of the security services over that period, during which the 'killing' and 'torturing' of Ethiopians took place. Tedros was the country's foreign minister until 2016 when his Tigray People's Liberation Front party was in power. Raised in Tigray, he also...

New research has found that 95.5 percent of individuals who died with a coronavirus-positive diagnosis in the Mass General Brigham health system did so in the hospital, according to a letter published in the Journal of Palliative Medicine. The data, collected between February 18 and May 18, also revealed that about 40 percent of hospital deaths occurred in the intensive care unit, further highlighting the need for more ICU beds amid the surge of virus cases across the country. Based on the overwhelming number of patients who died in the hospital and ICU, the research noted that it is highly...

The credibility of public health officials was shot earlier this year after members of the medical community approved of the months-long protests – i.e. superspreader events – following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Hypocritically, the same "experts" chastised other gatherings and large events that didn't call for defunding police departments or descend into widespread violence and mayhem. We now know, thanks to scientists who analyzed the genetic code of the coronavirus, that a superspreader event back in February is responsible for around 300,000 cases of the Wuhan virus. The event wasn't a reopening protest or a Trump rally,...

(CNN)Dr. Anthony Fauci is urging Black Americans hesitant to take the Covid-19 vaccine to trust the process -- in part because one of the scientists at the forefront of the vaccine's development is a Black woman. The nation's top infectious disease expert, speaking at an event hosted by the National Urban League on Tuesday, said it was important to acknowledge the US history of racism in medical research and understand how that has fostered mistrust among some Black people.

The number of people waiting more than a year to start hospital treatment in England in October was higher than any month since 2008, figures show. There were 162,888 patients still yet to start treatment in October 2020, the highest number since 2008. A year earlier, the number having to wait more than 52 weeks to start treatment stood at just 1,321. The latest figures from NHS England also show A&E admissions down 31% on the previous year. A total of 1.5 million people went to A&E in November this year - down from 2.1 million in November 2019. NHS...

Sort of a combo thread here. My mother had a short outing with a friend on Sat. Her friend called Tues to say she was pos for COVID, in the hospital. Now, my mother is clearly ill and today, her doctor said to get tested tomorrow, and quarantine for 2 weeks. I and my household family were with her Sun, and I have been with her today to help with the televisit stuff, and tomorrow for the test. Again, we should quarantine and wear masks at home, etc. We are concerned generally, but especially for my mom. She is 83,...

All in-park overnight lodging will be closed for incoming arrivals beginning on Monday, December 7, 2020 and will remain closed until further notice. All overnight camping within Yosemite National Park will be prohibited beginning on Monday, December 7, 2020 until further notice. This includes all park campgrounds, wilderness camping, and overnight use along climbing routes. Overnight backpacking trips into Yosemite’s wilderness will also be prohibited. All visitors planning trips to Yosemite are asked to be our partner in recreating responsibly. Yosemite National Park conducts hundreds of search and rescue missions each year, many of which could be avoided with visitors...

The novel coronavirus was circulating undetected in the United States for weeks in December—about a full month before the first confirmed case in the country, according to a new study that has been published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases. The eye-opening research arrived at its conclusion after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found evidence of coronavirus antibodies in blood collected in December 2019. The samples had been gathered originally to test for exposure to mosquito-borne illnesses like the West Nile virus. After analyzing blood donations collected by the American Red Cross from individuals in nine states...

A Cleveland-based technology company partnered with Purdue University to develop a rapid diagnostic test to detect numerous pathogens, including the molecule that causes COVID-19. The technology from the Purdue and IdentifySensors Biologics collaboration can also be modified to detect influenza, Zika, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, chickenpox, and more. “This test can be done fast, it’s accurate and can be done at home,” IdentifySensors CEO Gregory Hummer, MD, said. According to Purdue University, the real-time technology identified pathogens “by their induced distinctive resistance chance to electronic materials” and automatically transmits results to the individual’s cellphone and appropriate health departments. “We intend to...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—As part of the transition to a new administration, the Secret Service is working hard to make the White House safe and secure for the incoming 78-year-old president. One of the most important pieces of hardware in the White House will be Biden's presidential scooter, affectionately dubbed "Chair Force One." "This will be one of the most advanced pieces of geriatric technology the world has ever seen," said Secret Service Director James Murray. "With the ability to go from 0 to 3 miles per hour in 12 seconds, it will completely encase Mr. Biden in a shell of bulletproof...

I turned 65 in June and got on Medicare. I got the normal Medicare plans including Plan D, and optional Dental and Vision overage. Cost about $150 a total. I opted not to go Medicare Advantage at that time until and I could research it and see if it was all that was claimed. I recently talked to the Blue Cross rep here in Arkansas and after all my questions were answered and i knew my doctor was in the network I opted for a Advantage Plan, PPL plan for $49.00 a month and I am satisfied I made a...

Mask scolds have been monomaniacal about this virus as if there is no other way to die. What they don’t seem to understand is that this is no way to live.Those of us who are unsettled by mask mandates often cite the loss of freedoms as the reason behind our concerns, but that doesn’t even begin to tell the whole story. Mask mandates are not just dehumanizing in the context of today’s society, preventing us from reading the faces of others. There is yet another level of dehumanization. Getting “used to” masks suggests something more spiritually sinister: a Borg-like facelessness...