Editor's Note On December 1, the first case of COVID-19 attributed to the Omicron variant was reported in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As of December 8, Omicron variant cases had been reported in 22 states, including some that indicated community transmission. Of…

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Editor's Note The US Court of appeals for the 8th Circuit, on December 13, affirmed a lower court’s decision to halt the COVID-19 vaccination mandate for healthcare workers (HCWs) at facilities participating in Medicare and Medicaid programs, the December 14 Becker’s Hospital Review reports. The court turned down the Biden…

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Editor's Note Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, on December 9, declared the state’s nursing shortage amid the COVID-19 pandemic a State of Emergency. The executive order noted that Kentucky is operating 12% to 20% short of the needed nursing volume, and the state is projected to need more than 16,000 additional…

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Editor's Note This study by researchers at Indiana University and the University of Michigan finds that emergency departments (EDs) are a significant factor in preventing readmissions after major surgery. Researchers analyzed the electronic health records of nearly 2 million Medicare beneficiaries who had one of five surgical procedures (ie, percutaneous…

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Editor's Note An ongoing blood shortage has San Diego County hospital officials looking at delaying and cancelling surgical procedures, the December 13 San Diego Union–Tribune reports. The blood supply for Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas is 25% to 50% below normal, and UC San Diego Health has been falling below their…

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Editor's Note This study from the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and James Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, Ohio, finds that patients residing in vulnerable communities characterized by a high social vulnerability index (SVI) had worse postoperative outcomes, and the impact was most pronounced in Black/minority patients. In this analysis…

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Editor's Note In this study, researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine find that the initial COVID-19 shutdown from March through April 2020 resulted in a decrease in surgical volume to nearly half of baseline rates. After the reopening, surgical volume rebounded to 2019 levels, and the trend was maintained.…

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Editor's Note New York will require 32 upstate hospitals with limited capacity to halt elective surgical procedures as COVID-19 cases increase in the state, the December 7 Becker’s Hospital Review reports. The state defined limited capacity as less than 10% staffed bed capacity, or as determined by the health department…

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Editor's Note This study by researchers from the University of Illinois Chicago finds that about 3 in 20 healthcare workers (HCWs) surveyed reported being hesitant about getting COVID-19 vaccinations. The study also finds that HCW vaccine decisions were influenced by their colleagues. The survey included 1,974 respondents from three Chicago…

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Editor's Note Overall healthcare employment in the US was up slightly in November to a seasonally adjusted 16,041,900 workers, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on December 6. That’s up 2,100 since October. Hospital employment, however, was down by 3,900 jobs. The overall unemployment rate for November was 4.2%, for…

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