Recently Dr. Alister Martin faced his patient, a Hispanic man who spoke no English, and broke the news that he would have to be intubated. Struggling to keep his voice calm, Dr. Martin, of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, suggested that the man call his wife. And he told the patient, a bus driver and…
As the coronavirus rages across the globe, ventilators that pump oxygen into the lungs of critically ill patients have been embraced as the best hope for saving lives. But fears of a ventilator shortage have unleashed a wave of experimentation at hospitals around the country that is leading to some promising alternatives to help sustain…
Just a month ago, Dr. Bushra Mina had no playbook to treat patients who were arriving with coronavirus at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan. His first encounter was with an older man whose health declined quickly. No drugs were approved to treat this highly infectious virus, and there was little Dr. Mina could do but…
We’re a married couple, both doctors, originally drawn to medicine because we want to be of value at times of need. But as Chicago approaches its projected surge, and with infections likely continuing for months, we’re debating what we can and should do. If we’re asked to treat Covid-19 patients, we want to help, in…
When we asked readers to send their questions about coronavirus, a common theme emerged: Many people are fearful about tracking the virus into their homes on their clothes, their shoes, the mail and even the newspaper. We reached out to infectious disease experts, aerosol scientists and microbiologists to answer reader questions about the risks of…
Here’s what you need to know: ImageMedical workers transported the body of a coronavirus victim at a hospital in Wuhan, China, in February.Credit…Chinatopix, via Associated Press China revises its figures in Wuhan, adding 50 percent more deaths. Faced with mounting skepticism over its official figures, China on Friday revised upward its death toll in the…
Just as we’re about to abandon our mountainside search in defeat, my 6-year-old son shouts, “I found one, guys!” His older brother, my husband and I step over brambles to join him where he’s crouched on the old logging trail we’ve followed through the forest. His small hand cups our family’s first-ever morel mushroom, the…
Two new species of viruses have been identified in blood samples taken from patients in Brazil’s northern region who had similar symptoms to those of dengue or Zika, such as high fever, severe headache, rash and red skin spots. One belongs to the genus Ambidensovirus and was found in a sample collected in the state…
Study suggests testing and contact tracing and population behavioural changes–measures which have far less disruptive social and economic impact than total lockdown–can meaningfully control COVID-19 Hong Kong appears to have averted a major COVID-19 outbreak up to March 31, 2020, by adopting far less drastic control measures than most other countries, with a combination…
The point when human embryonic stem cells irreversibly commit to becoming specialised has been identified by researchers at the Francis Crick Institute. Our biological history can be traced back to a small group of cells called embryonic stem cells, which through cell division, give rise to cells that specialise to perform a specific role in…