Clinical Contributors to this Story Ahmed Siddiqi, D.O. contributes to topics such as Orthopedic Surgery.
Hackensack NJ, COVID-19 is characterized by a variety of symptoms—some common to respiratory illness (fever, cough, runny nose) and others altogether strange (loss of taste and smell and “foggy brain”). Although some COVID-19 patients have complained of joint pain, new research has quantified the prevalence of the symptom and is beginning to reveal the causes behind it.
Ridgewood NJ, the latest Gallup poll confirms what has been true for a year now. Democrats are still much more worried about contracting COVID than Republicans are. In February, two of three registered Democrats were very or moderately worried about COVID versus one in four GOPers.
by Seena Gressin Attorney, Division of Consumer & Business Education, FTC
Some of you are celebrating your second COVID-19 vaccination with the giddy enthusiasm that’s usually reserved for weddings, new babies, and other life events. You’re posting a photo of your vaccination card on social media. Please — don’t do that! You could be inviting identity theft.
April 6th, 2021
Dear Glen Rock High School Staff, Parents and Guardians:
This letter is to inform you that since our return from Spring Break we had fourteen (14) high school students test positive for COVID-19. Though several of these results occurred over
break, we did receive notice today of an additional ten (10) students with positive tests. With these additional positive cases, Glen Rock High School will transition to remote instruction from
April 7th – April 9th, 2021. The High School will return to in person instruction via the previously
announced three (3) cohort schedule on Monday, April 12th, 2021.
Ridgewood NJ, on April 2, a team of researchers led by the US CDC COVID-19 Response Team published interim estimates of a prospective cohort study describing the effectiveness of the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines among healthcare and other frontline workers. The report, published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), describes data collected from December 14, 2020 to March 13, 2021, through the HEROES-RECOVER network of 8 US sites. Overall, 3,950 frontline workers (i.e., those who routinely are within 3 feet of other individuals as part of their occupation) with no prior laboratory documentation of SARS-CoV-2 infection were included in the analysis. Participants were actively monitored for COVID-19 symptoms and self-collected weekly nasal swabs which were tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Ridgewood NJ, Researchers from the US National Center for Health Statistics on March 31 published a report in the US CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report describing the leading causes of US deaths in 2020. The authors analyzed provisional mortality data from the CDC’s National Vital Statistics System, ranking causes of mortality and contextualizing COVID-19 mortality trends with available demographic and medical data. Based on the provisional data, the estimated age-adjusted death rate in the US increased from 715.2 deaths per 100,000 in 2019 to 828.7 deaths per 100,000 in 2020 (+15.9%). COVID-19 was an underlying or contributing cause of death for 11.3% (377,883) of deaths in 2020; approximately 9% of COVID-19-associated deaths had an underlying cause of death that was not COVID-19. The top 3 leading underlying causes of death in 2020 were heart disease (690,882), cancer (598,932), and COVID-19 (345,323), with the next 7 leading underlying causes of mortality being unintentional injury, stroke, chronic lower respiratory disease, Alzheimer disease, diabetes, influenza and pneumonia, and kidney disease. Previously, suicide was the 10th leading underlying cause of death in the United States but was displaced from the list in 2020 due to mortality from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ridgewood NJ, with 71% of people whose jobs can be done remotely working from home all or most of the time during the COVID-19 pandemic, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on the Best States for Working from Home, as well as accompanying videos, in order to highlight which areas are thriving and which are struggling in this pandemic economy.
Ridgewood NJ, Valley Hospital has received a limited supply of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine protects recipients from COVID-19 through a single dose, requiring only one appointment.
County officials urge vigilance as results mirror trend which led to post-Thanksgiving spike
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Hackensack NJ, Bergen County’s ongoing Wastewater Testing Program indicates that the current concentration levels of COVID-19 are similar to those from late fall/early winter of 2020, which were followed by a spike in cases. The County saw 7,210 new positive cases for the month of March.
Newark NJ, Governor Phil Murphy and the New Jersey Department of Health today issued new COVID-19 travel guidance. The restrictions follow updated travel recommendations released by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) earlier this month.
Trenton NJ, Governor Phil Murphy today announced that all individuals ages 16 and older will be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination on April 19 – two weeks ahead of the state’s initial target of May 1. New Jersey’s phased vaccination roll out has successfully administered 4.7 million doses of vaccine to essential frontline workers, educators, high-risk groups, and other eligible adults who live, work, or study in the state. With 1,796,798 adults already fully vaccinated, New Jersey is on track to meet Governor Murphy’s goal of fully vaccinating 4.7 million adults by June 30.
We all know that we need to keep our homes clean all the time. Even so, many homeowners still put it off and let the chores accumulate overtime before they do the cleaning. Others, on the other hand, don’t even bother at all.
Paramus NJ, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig today announced an update on the Office’s enforcement efforts to combat COVID-19 related fraud, including schemes targeting the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, and Unemployment Insurance (UI) programs, and schemes involving the price-gouging and hoarding of critical personal protective equipment.
Washington DC, The Department of Justice has received reports that fraudsters are creating fraudulent COVID-19 vaccine surveys for consumers to fill out with the promise of a prize or cash at the conclusion of the survey. In reality, the surveys are used to steal money from consumers and unlawfully capture consumers’ personal information.
Ridgewood NJ, this chart caught our eye, primarily because it underscores the extent to which stress, anxiety, isolation, and other mental health aspects of lock down have hit young people hard, despite the fact severe disease and death form the virus has been overwhelmingly among seniors.
