May 27—BEMIDJI — Masks will now be optional for visitors and patients at Sanford Health facilities in Bemidji, as long as they have no COVID-19 symptoms.

This policy change makes masks optional in inpatient and outpatient exam rooms, unless someone is a visitor to a patient with COVID-19.

The change in policy follows local COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations remaining low for three consecutive months.

Sanford Health employees will continue to wear masks while interacting with patients, including in patient or resident rooms, exam rooms and during direct treatment or therapy sessions.

Medicare recipients will get a premium reduction — but not until next year — reflecting what Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said Friday was an overestimate in costs of covering an expensive and controversial new Alzheimer's drug. Becerra’s statement said the 2022 premium should be adjusted downward but legal and operational hurdles prevented officials from doing that in the middle of the year. Medicare Part B premiums jumped by $22 a month, to $170.10, for 2022, in part because of the cost of the drug Aduhelm, which was approved despite weak evidence that it could slow the progression of Alzheimer's.

A Central Florida man survived what doctors call an “exploding heart.”

"If you were not vaccinated and double-boosted, then you would have had a much more severe outcome than you have right now," he told me.

The coronavirus mutant that is now dominant in the United States is a member of the omicron family but scientists say it spreads faster than its omicron predecessors, is adept at escaping immunity and might possibly cause more serious disease. Because it combines properties of both omicron and delta, the nation's dominant variant in the middle of last year. A genetic trait that harkens back to the pandemic's past, known as a “delta mutation," appears to allow the virus "to escape pre-existing immunity from vaccination and prior infection, especially if you were infected in the omicron wave," said Dr. Wesley Long, a pathologist at Houston Methodist in Texas.

Vladimir Konstantinov has traded hockey sticks for an Uno deck. The onetime Soviet and Detroit Red Wings star plays so often that he goes through a pack per week, wearing out cards with the hands that once made him one of the world's best defensemen. During a recent visit to the Konstantinovs' suburban Detroit condominium, he handily defeated his longtime nurse, Pam Demanuel, and smiled.

The CDC says Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties, plus Pasco, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Sarasota, Polk and Alachua counties, are at high risk.

Dr. Julian Kim didn’t even know he was at risk of a stroke until it was too late.

What happened Shares of drugmaker Novavax (NASDAQ: NVAX) are up to the tune of 18.9% as of 2:11 p.m. ET Friday, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence, thanks to a confluence of events that work in the company's favor.

The multi-hyphenate shared why she prioritizes her sleep in her latest newsletter.

107 people were diagnosed with brain tumors who went to or worked Colonia High School in New Jersey. The mayor announces results of an investigation.

It is possible to get COVID-19 twice and even more than that. Experts explain why coronavirus reinfections happen and how long immune protection via infection really lasts.

Brazilian butt lifts (or BBLs) have gained popularity over the last few years, but the procedure can be quite dangerous. Alternatives to the surgery, such as butt-augmentation injections, have subsequently become more popular.

A new report by the Mayo Clinic says that people are more motivated by health than by appearance to lose weight. Here's what that means and why it matters.

A woman describes how her heart hurt amid the stress and grief she experienced after her husband unexpectedly died during a family vacation.

Virginia has its first case of monkeypox according to the state's Department of Health. The patient is reportedly isolating and poses no public threat.

As 25 cases of monkeypox have been reported in the Montreal area, Quebec health officials will be administering a smallpox vaccine to eligible residents.

Similar to vegetables and nuts , dogs can eat fruits as a way to add healthy nutrients to...

In the aftermath of a mass casualty event like Tuesday's shooting in Uvalde, Texas, blame swirls, often landing on one frequent victim: mental illness.

If you regularly reach for seed oils like canola oil, sesame oil or grapeseed oil when cooking -- or buy packaged foods that contain them -- listen up.

COVID-19 transmission is a different measure than the CDC’s COVID-19 community level scale.