The Grayson County sheriff contracted COVID-19, and he had advice for others, according to his Facebook page.

Sheriff Norman Chaffins, a law enforcement veteran of over 20 years, detailed the hardship he has faced after he, his wife Lauren and his son Greyson tested positive for the virus, leaving him with severe symptoms.

"On Monday, I lost ...Read more

Question: I've heard about contact tracing being done during the COVID-19 pandemic. What is it and how does it work?

Answer: Contact tracing is a tool that can help slow the spread of infectious diseases, such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In communities using contact tracing, clinics, labs and hospitals send the names of people who ...Read more

In the millions of tiny air sacs tasked with absorbing oxygen in Brett Breslow's lungs, the scene was chaos.

Some of the sacs were swollen with fluid that had leaked from surrounding blood vessels. Others had simply collapsed. The grim result: the Cherry Hill man was starved of oxygen, leading doctors at Cooper University Hospital to put him on...Read more

Dear Mayo Clinic: Our family loves to exercise outdoors. With summer coming, I want to make sure our family stays safe. What advice do you have for staying hydrated and avoiding issues while working out in the heat?

Answer: Exercising in hot weather puts extra stress on your body. If you don't take care when exercising in the heat, you risk ...Read more

As experts look to learn more about the link between asthma and COVID-19, a new study from researchers at Rutgers University suggests that the chronic respiratory condition may not increase the severity of the virus.

The study, which was published this week in the The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, found that "asthma does not ...Read more

Long meetings are a necessary evil in most careers. Now that so many people are working from home, meetings have transitioned from in-person to online video calls. Hours and hours spent staring at your screen can strain your eyes. Every device emits blue light, which the sun also emits.

"Blue light is actually important. It's actually healthy ...Read more

Researchers in Texas said they have designed a virus-trapping air filter that can kill the coronavirus instantly using extremely high temperatures, and can be installed in existing cooling and heating systems.

The announcement comes as public health leaders are acknowledging that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, could be airborne ...Read more

The novel coronavirus isn't the first virus to jump from animals to people and wreak havoc.

HIV. Ebola. Swine flu. Bird flu. SARS. MERS.

The list goes on, and it's going to grow longer.

In an essay published Thursday in the journal Science, an international team led by San Diego Zoo Global researchers calls for scientists and wildlife experts...Read more

Q: I've heard about new antibody testing for COVID-19. What is antibody testing? Is it the same as testing to diagnose COVID-19?

A: With all the talk about coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) testing in the news, it's not surprising that there's confusion about tests and how they differ. Antibody testing determines whether you had COVID-19 in ...Read more

For decades, obesity rates in the U.S. have been increasing. Now researchers predict that by 2030, nearly half of adults will be obese if the current trend continues.

Dr. Donald Hensrud, director of the Mayo Clinic Healthy Living Program, says that projection is concerning because obesity is related to a number of health conditions such as ...Read more

Half a year into the pandemic, it's well-accepted that coronavirus can be spread when an infected person expels respiratory droplets by coughing or sneezing.

But can the virus be transmitted in microscopically small droplets that are released into the air by talking or just breathing? And if so, could you contract the virus from across a room, ...Read more

Dates are often used as alternative sweeteners because of their natural sweetness, but are dates healthy or are they just another form of sugar?

This sweet food contains more than just carbohydrates and sugars: dates are packed full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other health-promoting nutrients that can help you stay healthy. Dates ...Read more

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: Is minimally invasive heart surgery to repair a mitral valve a safer option than open-heart surgery? Is it common for a surgeon to have to switch to an open-heart procedure after starting the surgery?

ANSWER: Both minimally invasive heart surgery and traditional surgery that involves opening the chest bone — a procedure ...Read more

Fresh off a Caribbean cruise in early March, John Campbell developed a cough and fever of 104 degrees. He went to his primary care physician and got a flu test, which came up negative.

Then things got strange. Campbell said the doctor then turned to him and said, "I've called the ER next door, and you need to go there. This is a matter of ...Read more

Dear Mayo Clinic: My father has a history of kidney stones. He has changed his diet in the past year, which seemed to help. I'm concerned though, since I had heard kidney stones can increase during the summer. Is this true? If so, are there any tips for how he can further reduce his risk?

Answer: As temperatures rise during the summer months, ...Read more

When an employee told a group of 20-somethings they needed face masks to enter his fast-food restaurant, one woman fired off a stream of expletives. "Isn't this Orange County?" snapped a man in the group. "We don't have to wear masks!"

The curses came as a shock, but not really a surprise, to Nilu Patel, a certified registered nurse anesthetist...Read more

As her mother lay dying in a Southern California hospital in early May, Elishia Breed was home in Oregon, 800 miles away, separated not only by the distance, but also by the cruelty of the coronavirus.

Because of the pandemic, it wasn't safe to visit her mom, Patti Breed-Rabitoy, who had entered a hospital alone, days earlier, with a high fever...Read more

Most tick bites are painless and cause only minor signs and symptoms, such as redness, swelling or a sore on the skin. But some ticks transmit bacteria that cause illnesses, including Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. In general, to transmit Lyme disease a tick needs to be attached for at least 36 hours. Other infections can be ...Read more