Six Massachusetts college students are facing charges after police say they assaulted an active-duty soldier after luring him on the dating app Tinder as part of a social media trend. (Patrick Sison/AP)
Valentine's Day is just around the corner and while couples are set to shower each other with gifts and quality time, a study by the Pew Research Center found that three in 10 Americans are single and nearly half of them are turning to dating apps to find companionship.
Tinder appears to be the top choice in the world of online dating with 46 percent of American singles reporting that they have used the service. About 10 percent of adults have used other services like Bumble or Match.
Yet, with online dating app usage ticking up, are these matches successful? At least half of people reported mostly positive experiences while 48 percent said they experienced negative behavior online. The study found that men were more likely to report positive experiences compared to women. Users identifying as gay, lesbian, and bisexual were also more likely to report positive experiences.
For many, using the apps isn't about finding committed partners. Just 42 percent of Americans reported seeking long-term relationships, with 51 percent saying they were open to a committed relationship or casual dating. Among men, that number was slightly higher at 56 percent compared to 44 percent of women.
Experts say that at some point next year, the pandemic will officially drop its pandemic status, becoming endemic. While this is a milestone to acknowledge, it does not mean we're free of infections, illnesses, and deaths. Dr. Rajeev Fernando, infectious disease specialist, Beth Israel Hospital and fellow, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Chicago-based Internist Dr. Vivek Cherian joined Wake Up With Cheddar to break down the unprecedented surge in U.S. COVID-19 as many prepare to celebrate the new year.
Dr. Soumi Eachempati, co-founder and CEO of Cleared4 and former professor of surgery and public health at Weill Cornell Medical College, joined Cheddar to breakdown what people should know about the recently FDA-approved emergency use of Merck and Pfizer's COVID-19 treatment pills. He noted that not only do people need to be aware of other medications they are taking that could cause adverse effects if coupled with COVID-19 pill treatments, he also talked about the intense in-take regiment. "The Merck pills are actually about 40 pills over five days. The Pfizer ones are three pills over five days, so people have to be prepared for that because it is a lot of pills you'll have to take to get full value from these drugs," Eachempati told Cheddar.
Twitter is exploding with a new meme after the CDC revised its Covid-19 guidelines, shortening the recommended isolation period to five days instead of 10 for when you test positive and are asymptomatic. The change came amid a skyrocketing surge of new cases is the U.S. due to the Omicron variant, drawing criticism from experts and Twitter --with users claiming the government agency is giving funny advise on a variety of issues. But what does the meme say about the public’s trust in the agency? Cheddar News speaks with political strategist Hastie Afkhami.
The list of questions should be getting shorter as we enter the pandemic's third year, but that isn't the case. There's another question to add to that list: is the U.S. doing enough to track the virus and its variants? Lawrence Gostin, faculty director of the O'Neill Institute for national and global health law at Georgetown University, joins Cheddar News.
As we prepare to ring in the new year, COVID cases are hitting an all-time high. Dr. Anthony Fauci has said the safest way to celebrate would be a small gathering with vaccinated family members only... far from the large, flashy parties from a few years ago. Dr. Christina Johns, senior medical advisor at PM Pediatrics, joins Cheddar News to discuss how to celebrate safely.
