Covid-19

We've seen that the COVID-19 epidemic or pandemic has especially affected them some of the most vulnerable populations. So homeless populations and criminal justice populations, especially. And these are also populations that are more predisposed to deal with substance abuse issues. The COVID-19 pandemic has just exacerbated a lot of the underlying conditions of the opioid epidemic. http://www.solvecast.com/articles/detail/15292-opioid-epidemic-tackling-community-decay-and-loneliness-with-sarmed-rashid [more]

Melatonin produced in the lungs acts as a barrier defense against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, by blocking the expression of genes that encode proteins in cells acting as viral entry points.

Pre-clinical and clinical trials will be needed to prove the therapeutic efficacy of melatonin against the virus, the researchers stress in an article on the study published in the journal Melatonin Research.

https://neurosciencenews.com/melatonin-lungs-covid-17632/ [more]

NHTSA said recent reports show a 22% increase in vehicle speeds in several metropolitan areas over pre-pandemic numbers. Also, a study found that 65% of drivers treated at trauma centers who were hurt in serious crashes had drugs or alcohol in their systems last year. It was 50.6% before the pandemic, NHTSA said. The agency also said fewer people are wearing seat belts.

https://www.autoblog.com/2021/01/13/us-traffic-deaths-rise-in-2020/ [more]