CDC confirms first US case of Omicron COVID-19 variant
Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on December 1, issued a statement that the California and San Francisco Departments of Public Health have confirmed that a recent case of COVID-19 in an individual in California was caused by the Omicron variant (B.1.1.529). The individual, who has mild…
New survey finds a significant impact of COVID-19 on the future of nursing
Editor's Note A new nationwide survey of nurses by Florida Atlantic Universityโs Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, Boca Raton, conducted in partnership with Cross Country Healthcare, Inc, finds that the COVID-19 pandemic has introduced long-lasting negative perceptions of their future careers. Of 570 respondents: 37% said they were burned…
FDA: Class I recall of Teleflex percutaneous thrombolytic device kit
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on November 30, identified the worldwide recall by Teleflex of its Arrow-Trerotola Over-The-Wire PTD Kit Percutaneous Thrombolytic Device: 7FR as Class I, the most serious. The device, which is used for mechanical declotting of native arteriovenous fistulae and synthetic dialysis grafts, was…
Odds of testing positive for COVID-19 after receiving 3 vs 2 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine
Editor's Note The findings of this study by Israeli and Yale University researchers suggest that the waning of vaccine-induced protection against COVID-19 is counteracted in the short-term by a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. In this case-controlled analysis of 306,710 Israeli adults 40 years and older, there was a…
Federal judge blocks COVID-19 vaccine mandate for HCWs nationwide
Editor's Note A Louisiana federal judge, on November 30, blocked the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers (HCWs) at facilities participating in Medicare and Medicaid nationwide, the November 30 Axios reports. In his ruling, the judge says the executive branch does not have the authority to bypass Congress in enforcing…
Injurious HCW experiences, emotions before COVID-19 vaccine availability
Editor's Note This study led by researchers from Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, finds that healthcare workers (HCWs) had significant changes in their personal and professional lives during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, before the availability of vaccines. Findings from this analysis of 1,344 HCWs (ie, nurses,…
COVID-19 vaccine mandate for HCWs blocked in 10 states
Editor's Note A federal judge, on November 29, blocked a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) mandate requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for healthcare workers (HCWs) in facilities participating in CMS programs in 10 states, the November 29 Bloomberg Law reports. In his ruling, the judge says the CMS mandate requires…
US COVID-19 mortality rates vary by race, ethnicity, education
Editor's Note This study from the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, finds that racial and ethnic minority populations in the US experienced higher COVID-19 mortality rates, and those with lower educational attainment died at the highest rates within racial and ethnic groups. Among 219.1 million adults…
RN salaries grew 4% in 2021
Editor's Note A study by Premier healthcare consultants finds that the average annual salary for RNs grew about 4% to $81,376 this year, the November 17 Beckerโs Hospital Review reports. The study, which examined salaries of about 60,000 nurses for The Wall Street Journal, notes that RN salaries are rising…
Impact of nail brush, duration of surgical hand scrub on bacterial count
Editor's Note This study led by nurse researchers at the University of Health Sciences, Gulhane Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey finds that nail brushes used during surgical hand scrubs are not necessary, and there is no difference between the effects of 1-minute and 2-minute scrubs on bacterial counts. The…