Americans can again order four free at-home COVID tests from the federal government
(NEW YORK) — Americans can once again order free at-home COVID-19 tests from the federal government starting Thursday ahead of the upcoming respiratory virus season.
This is the third year in a row the Biden-Harris administration has allowed Americans to order over-the-counter tests at no charge.
Anyone wanting to order tests can do so at COVID.gov/tests. Four tests will be shipped free by USPS, starting Sep. 30.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) first made the announcement last month that the free COVID tests program was restarting.
“As families start to move indoors this fall and begin spending time with their loved ones, both very old and very young, they will once again have the opportunity to order up to four new COVID-19 tests free of charge and have them sent directly to their homes,” Dawn O’Connell, assistant secretary for preparedness and response at HHS, said during a media briefing at the time. “These tests will help keep families and their loved ones safe this fall and winter season.”
She added that the tests will be able to detect infection from currently circulating variants.
Currently, KP.3.1.1, an offshoot of the omicron variant, is the dominant variant in the U.S., accounting for an estimated 52.7% of cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
During the same media briefing, CDC director Dr. Mandy Cohen said immunity from vaccination and previous COVID infection have helped limit the burden of COVID on the health care system.
“I do want to acknowledge that we continue to see a lot of COVID-19 activity across the country right now in tests coming back from labs,” Cohen said, adding, “Circulating COVID disease is not translating into similar increases in emergency room visits and hospitalizations or deaths.”
(NEW YORK) — A growing body of research suggests that age is more than just a number.
Regardless of how many birthdays you’ve celebrated, your overall health may depend on the resilience and vitality of your cells.
It’s a concept known as biological, or epigenetic, aging.
Biological aging explained
“Chronological age is what the calendar tells us,” Elissa Epel, PhD, a professor in the department of psychiatry & behavioral sciences at the University of California, San Francisco Weill Institute for Neurosciences, told ABC News.
Biological age looks beyond the calendar to provide clues for how well someone’s health stands the test of time.
Researchers commonly analyze a process called DNA methylation, which involves chemical alterations of gene expression, without any changes to the actual genetic sequence itself. As this pattern shifts, it is reflected in the age of the cells.
Genetic factors intertwine with environmental factors, such as pollutants and toxins, and lifestyle habits, like diet and exercise, to alter DNA methylation and influence cell function.
The idea is that everything can have an impact at the cellular level, which could potentially have implications for predicting disease risk and longevity.
Watching the clock
To test for biological age, scientists use advanced tools known as epigenetic clocks.
Developed a little over a decade ago by UCLA researcher Steve Horvath, PhD, epigenetic clocks use blood, skin, or saliva samples to analyze specific patterns in the DNA, called methylation marks, and then compare them against chronological age, as well as to a database containing information from other individuals.
Evaluating various body systems, Horvath found that even healthy tissue next to a breast cancer tumor, for example, was about 12 years older than the rest of the body.
“We can’t change our genes, but we can change how much they are activated or silenced,” said Epel, also the director of the Aging, Metabolism, and Emotions Center in San Francisco, adding that, “the patterns of methylation, like doors being open or closed, change dramatically with age.”
Until recently, epigenetic clocks have primarily been used in the lab, but a few are now available to consumers. Some have price tags upwards of $500.
Consumer tests can offer insights into lifestyle changes that might help slow biological aging, though experts are still evaluating their accuracy and utility.
If you could turn back time
Epel and her team recently found that women who followed a diet with healthy nutrients such as folate and magnesium, showed signs of younger biological age, while women who consumed diets higher in added sugar were found to have older biological ages.
These findings were independent, in that more sugar meant more accelerated biological age, even if a woman’s overall diet was healthier, but sticking to a healthier overall diet was associated with slower cellular aging, even in those who consumed more added sugar.
Another team of researchers similarly looked at diet, with an eight-week twin study, where one twin followed a vegan diet while the other continued eating meat.
The “vegan” twins had lower age markers in different body systems compared to their meat-eating identical twin, and even more compelling, they had a decrease in their biological ages among multiple epigenetic clocks.
“Our health is not necessarily set in stone, it’s changing all the time, and so within the realm of our own individual spaces, we have some power, in terms of, the health behaviors that we choose to engage in, and those can have an impact on our epigenetic health,” Dorothy Chiu, PhD, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Osher Center for Integrative Health at UCSF, told ABC News.
Looking to the future
Understanding biological aging can be empowering. But it’s just as important to remember that it is not the end all, be all, Epel cautions.
“We don’t suggest individuals go out and get tested and think they’ve determined how long they are going to live,” she said. “It’s one source of information, and it’s not definitive in any way, especially since it changes.”
The main takeaway is that day-to-day habits can potentially influence health right down to the cellular level. Any steps, even small steps, towards staying healthy may have benefits.
While we can test biological age for some insights into how well someone is aging, for now, the best way to stay healthy is to keep up to date with screenings and follow the evidence-based recommendations from your healthcare provider.
(NEW YORK) — New York state reported its first case of eastern equine encephalitis in nearly a decade on Friday.
The rare mosquito-borne virus was detected in Ulster County, the New York State Department of Health said. The individual is hospitalized, it said.
The Ulster County Department of Health is currently investigating the case, which marks the first case of EEE confirmed in New York state since 2015, health officials said.
“Eastern equine encephalitis is a serious and fatal mosquito-borne disease with no vaccine,” New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said in a statement. “Even though temperatures are getting cooler, mosquito-borne illnesses are still a risk and New Yorkers must be cautious.”
The human case comes after a case of EEE was confirmed in a horse in Ulster County in August, the state health department said. Earlier this month, two emus in New York’s Rensselaer County also tested positive for the virus, which does not spread directly from birds to humans, the department said.
The latest human EEE case in New York brings the national tally to at least 11 so far this year, according to an ABC News tally. The national yearly average is 11, with most cases occurring in eastern or Gulf Coast states.
Beyond New York, cases have been reported in at least six other states so far this year: Massachusetts, with four; New Hampshire, with two; and, with one each, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin.
Between 2003 and 2023, there have been at least 196 EEE cases reported in the U.S., including 176 hospitalizations and 79 deaths.
The best way to prevent infection from the disease is to protect yourself from mosquito bites, including by using insect repellant, wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants, treating clothing and gear and taking steps to control mosquitoes indoors and outdoors.
“With the first confirmed human case of eastern equine encephalitis in Ulster County, I urge residents to take the recommended precautions to prevent mosquito bites and the risk of infection,” Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger said in a statement.
Most people infected with EEE do not develop symptoms. For those who do, symptoms can include fever, headache, vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, behavioral changes and drowsiness, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Approximately a third of all people who develop severe cases die, according to the CDC.
(NEW YORK) — A New Hampshire resident died after being infected with a rare mosquito-borne disease, health officials said Tuesday.
The resident, an adult from Hempstead — near the southeastern border with Massachusetts — had tested positive for Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus (EEEV). The patient was hospitalized due to severe central nervous system disease and died of their illness, according to an update from the state’s Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS).
This is the first reported human case of EEEV in New Hampshire in a decade after three people contracted the disease in 2014, two of whom died, DHHS said.
It’s unclear when the resident, who recently passed away, first became infected with EEEV. No other details were available including name, age or sex.
In addition to the person infected with EEEV, the virus has also been found in one horse and seven mosquito batches in New Hampshire so far this summer, according to the health department.
Neighboring states have been experiencing similar threats. In Massachusetts, 10 communities were designated as being under high or critical risk of the virus, according to the state’s Department of Public Health. Many of the areas began implementing targeted mosquito spraying to protect residents.
“In New Hampshire, mosquitos transmit infections including Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus, West Nile Virus, and Jamestown Canyon Virus,” Dr. Benjamin Chan, New Hampshire’s state epidemiologist, said in a statement.
“We believe there is an elevated risk for EEEV infections this year in New England given the positive mosquito samples identified. The risk will continue into the fall until there is a hard frost that kills the mosquitos. Everybody should take steps to prevent mosquito bites when they are outdoors,” the statement continued.
EEEV is a rare but serious disease that spreads by bites from infected mosquitoes. It does not spread via touching or droplets from coughing or sneezing, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Most people who are infected either show mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. However, severe cases usually begin with fever, headache, chills and vomiting before progressing to encephalitis, which is swelling of the brain, or meningitis, which is swelling of the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord.
Many survivors have ongoing neurologic problems including convulsions, paralysis and intellectual disability, and about 30% of encephalitis cases from this virus result in death.
There are no human vaccines and no treatments specifically for EEEV. The CDC says rest, fluids and over-the-counter pain medications may help relieve some symptoms.
As of Tuesday, four cases have been reported aside from the New Hampshire case — with one case each in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Vermont and Wisconsin, according to the CDC.
The New Hampshire DHHS said residents can protect themselves by using effective mosquito repellents, wearing long-sleeve shirts and long pants when outside and avoiding outdoor activities when mosquitoes are the most active, including early in the morning and during evening hours.
Additionally, residents are advised to remove standing water from around their homes, which attracts mosquitoes, and to make sure doors and windows have tight-fitting screens.