Immune System

The warnings have been forthcoming for quite a while. Even though there are specific and limited diagnoses for taking antibiotics, the trend over many years has been their overprescription, as a way to mollify insistent patients or convey an attitude of “just in case, this may help.” Whether for ear…

Okay, we admit it. Sometimes we can sound like a broken record when it comes to getting a flu shot. Everyone older than 6 months should get the flu shot this year, both because predictions of a looming bad flu season are now popping up everywhere and hospital systems, overwhelmed…

As we suggested in a recent post on COVID, the new Delta variant is upending much of what we thought was settled regarding the coronavirus pandemic. While the data continue to show that all available vaccines remain effective in preventing serious disease and death from COVID, the new Delta variant…

It’s been about 2 months since there’s been a post addressing COVID on agebuzz. That time lag tells you much about where experts thought the pandemic was heading and the reality of where we are now. While earlier this year it appeared that, as a country, we were on our…

First, some data to provide context for where we stand regarding COVID-19 in the United States. We now have officially confirmed 600,000 Americans dead from COVID, more than the combined totals from World War I, II, and Vietnam. On a positive note, 86% of those 65 and older are now…

If we’ve learned one thing this past year, it’s the value of a strong immune system- and why older adults, who tend to have weakened immune systems, may be at special risk when it comes to infectious diseases. Even if you’ve been vaccinated against Covid, it’s still in your best…