This week thousands of people across Shelby County got their first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine, but not before waiting several hours in line. Friday, some progress was made. After waiting three hours in line for a COVID-19 vaccine shot at the Pipkin Building, Anette Hossier and her husband had built up an appetite.
COVID-19 rapid tests are quick, easy and give you results in minutes, but they may not be as accurate if you don’t have symptoms. “You can’t just take a rapid test and say ‘Oh I don’t have COVID.” said Dean Scott Strome, UTHSC College of Medicine.
One of the most common symptoms of the coronavirus is loss of taste and smell. Health experts estimate more than 80 percent of COVID patients lose at least some of those senses after contracting the virus.
A new study by the University of Southern California and Princeton University found American’s life expectancy is now 77 years old. Deaths from COVID-19 are reducing life expectancy by about a year. “I don’t think it’s in our hands anymore, seriously. I think it’s a government issue,” Memphian Doreen Kostiuk told FOX13.
Students from the UT Health Science Center are playing a major role in the fight against the pandemic. Medical students were part of early covid19 testing efforts and now pharmacy students are on the frontline distributing the vaccine.
Dr. Karen Derefinko, an assistant professor of preventative medicine at UTHSC, says the pandemic is having an impact on those who struggle with substance abuse.“You’re using more or more often than you used to just to cope with the stress of the pandemic or losing a job or financial strain,” Dr. Derefinko said.
The University of Tennessee Health Science Center was awarded a $201K grant to study methods to reduce stigma among African Americans seeking treatment for opioid use. UTHSC oftentimes sees more white people seeking help, however, substance abuse tends to be the same across different ethnic and racial groups. Dr. Karen Derefinko treats people struggling with… Read More
The University of Tennessee Health Science Center partnered with the city of Memphis to bring fresh fruits and vegetables to a community commonly seen as a food desert. “It’s not just that there is a lack of food, but the produce may not be as good,” said Scott Strome, UTHSC. “Having folks know where their… Read More
