Category: Health News

Fauci warns not to send students home

by  on  in Health News

Only a few weeks into fall semester, colleges and universities across the country are urgently trying to control clusters of COVID-19 infections on their campuses. Thousands of cases have been reported nationwide, forcing universities to switch to virtual classes and either quarantine or, in some cases, send students back home whether or not they’re sick.

The situation has become serious enough that Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, is urging colleges: If at all possible, do not send students home.

Full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak

“It’s the worst thing you could do,” he said Wednesday on

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Shaming and blaming students can make it worse, experts say

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With colleges around the country reporting outbreaks of COVID-19, some schools have placed the blame on students. But experts say shaming students and zero-tolerance policies may be making the situation worse.

The vice chancellor of Syracuse University called students “selfish” for gathering in the school’s Quad without observing social distancing, and a Cornell University vice president scolded irresponsible behavior for a cluster of cases that caused the campus in Ithaca, New York, to raise its alert level to yellow Friday. The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, which quickly moved to a virtual learning environment after an outbreak

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Study: Nearly one in three U.S. college students smokes pot

by  on  in Health News

Oct. 12 (UPI) — Nearly one-third of all college students in the United States smoke marijuana, a study published Monday by JAMA Pediatrics found.

Roughly twice as many — 62% — drink alcohol, the data showed.

At the same time, the number of students who say they abstain from both has increased to 28% from just under 20% in the early 2000s.

The percentage of college students who meet the criteria for alcohol use disorder also has declined to 10% over the same period from just under 20%, they said.

“Abstinence from both alcohol and marijuana have increased,” study co-author

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‘Twindemic’ test: Massachusetts, many colleges mandate winter flu shots

by  on  in Health News

“This is a brave new experiment by the state of Massachusetts,” said Lawrence Gostin, who heads a university-based center on health law that serves as an official collaborating institute with the World Health Organization. “If it turns out to be a wholesale success, that should influence other states to go a similar route, not just with flu but with other vaccines. But if it causes a backlash and only marginal benefit, states might be hesitant to adopt that model in the future.”

In New Jersey, Democratic lawmakers introduced a bill in the state Legislature late last month that would mandate

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Students’ Struggle with Mental Health in Pandemic

by  on  in Health News

TUESDAY, Aug. 11, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Depression, anxiety and inactive lifestyles are all too common among college students, and a new study finds they may have escalated during the initial outbreak of COVID-19.

Using a mix of smartphone data and online surveys from more than 200 students, researchers at Dartmouth College determined that the coronavirus pandemic had an immediate impact on the mental health of this particular undergraduate group.

The students involved in the study were participating in a research program tracking mental health at the New Hampshire university. They reported spikes in depression and anxiety

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