Health

The Latest

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  Virginia Jul 26

  Loudoun County COVID-19 Cases Significantly Increase

  Loudoun County, Virginia, reported a significant increase in COVID-19 cases in the past month, and health officials say the delta variant is fueling the spike. “The number of cases is clearly headed in the wrong direction,” Loudoun County Health Director Dr. David Goodfriend said in a news release Monday. “While we have made great progress in vacci...
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  COVID-19 Jul 24

  Asking About Vaccination Status Doesn't Violate Privacy Laws; Answering Is a Choice

  Health officials and legal experts are dispelling a misunderstanding about asking about COVID-19 vaccination status.
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  Health & Science Jul 22

  ‘Superbug' Fungus Spread in Two Cities, Health Officials Say

  U.S. health officials say they now have evidence that an untreatable “superbug” fungus has spread in two hospitals and a nursing home
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  DC Jul 22

  INOVA Health to Hold Blood Drive at Nationals Park Amid Shortage

  INOVA Health is holding a blood drive Saturday at Nationals Park as hospitals and blood banks across the country face a blood shortage because of the pandemic. Blood donation drives were cancelled at the height of the pandemic, leading to a dramatic drop in blood supply. Heather Wade, who works with INOVA blood donor services, says that for every p...
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  vaccine doses Jul 16

  Health Officials Track Wasted Vaccine Doses Across Capital Region as Demand Wanes

  As public health officials across the region work to convince those who are still unvaccinated to roll up their sleeves, the News4 I-Team learned almost 100,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have already gone to waste in the area.
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  Washington DC Jul 15

  Whitman Walker Clinic in DC to Improve Health Care Access East of the River

  D.C. broke ground on a new Whitman Walker Clinic on the campus of St. Elizabeths East. News4’s Mark Segraves reports the clinic will give residents in Ward 7 and Ward 8 greater access to health care.
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  drug prices Jul 15

  Pfizer, Subsidiaries Agree to Pay $345M in EpiPen Settlement

  Pfizer Inc. and two of its subsidiaries have agreed to pay $345 million under a proposed settlement to resolve litigation over EpiPen price hikes
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  Health & Science Jul 15

  US Surgeon General Urges Fight Against ‘Insidious Threat' of Misinformation

  U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy is urging technology companies, health care workers and everyday Americans to do more to stop the spread of misinformation about COVID-19 and vaccines
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  hiccups Jul 15

  Cure for Hiccups? HiccAway Device Gives Relief, Study Says

  Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the study found that HiccAway helped alleviate hiccups in more than 90% of people who used it. Hiccaway, which resembles a straw, works better than home remedies, and users do not need an extreme case of hiccups in order for it to work.
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  coronavirus pandemic Jul 9

  DC Marks Major Milestone in Fight Against COVID-19

  D.C. says that more than 70% of residents over the age of 12 have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. News4’s Justin Finch explains how the plan to get people vaccinated is about to change.
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  respiratory syncytial virus Jul 9

  Doctors Are Seeing a Rare Surge in Winter Colds This Summer

  As masks are coming off, respiratory viruses are spreading. News4’s Doreen Gentzler reports some of the symptoms of respiratory viruses are coughing, wheezing, fever and difficulty breathing.
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  Alzheimer's disease Jul 9

  FDA Head Calls for Probe Into Approval of Alzheimer's Drug Aduhelm

  The acting head of the Food and Drug Administration is calling for a government investigation into highly unusual contacts between her agency’s drug reviewers and the maker of a controversial new Alzheimer’s drug
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  food Jul 10

  ‘Aunt Bertha' Helps MedStar Health Patients Get Food, Rides to Appointments

  With many families struggling to access necessities like fresh food and health care, MedStar Health is teaming up with a resource tool in an effort to help. Jeffrey Jones, of Southeast, D.C., has dealt with mounting medical bills since he recently suffered a heart attack. “When you’re getting billed, it’s like aw man. How am I gonna pay these...
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  FDA Jul 9

  FDA Trims Use of Contentious Alzheimer's Drug Amid Backlash

  The Food and Drug Administration has approved new prescribing instructions that are likely to limit use of a controversial new Alzheimer’s drug
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  covid-19 vaccine Jul 9

  Here's Why 2 Maryland Young People, 12 and 15, Say They Got the COVID-19 Vaccine

  As Maryland focuses on getting young people vaccinated against COVID-19, News4 spoke with two children about what made them want to get the shot. For 15-year-old Kendall Washington, getting the COVID vaccine was an easy choice. “Before it was 16 and up and I’m not 16 yet so I was just waiting for my opportunity. So then, when the opport...
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  Health Jul 8

  Cold That Usually Surfaces in Winter is Surging This Summer, Baffling Docs and Worrying Parents

  The recent emergence of a virus that typically sickens children in colder months has baffled U.S. pediatricians and put many infants in the hospital with troublesome coughs and breathing trouble
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  Chris Atwood Foundation Jul 6

  Virginia Program Distributes ‘Safer Use' Kits to Prevent Overdose

  A new mobile outreach program in Northern Virginia helps people with substance abuse disorders by providing “safer use” kits to prevent overdose.