Study provides evidence that vaccines protect against new COVID-19 variants
Editor's Note A study, led by researchers from Rockefeller University in New York City, finds that volunteers vaccinated with either the Moderna or the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine will be protected against new variants of the COVID-19 virus. The researchers tested plasma taken from 20 volunteers who had received both doses of…
Joint Commission adds new performance measure for THKR certification
Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on January 20, announced that data collection for a new standardized performance measure assessing a patientโs functional and health status postoperatively will be required for the Advanced Certification for Total Hip and Total Knee Replacement (THKR) program. Organizations will be required to assess a patientโs…
Willingness of US adults to get the COVID-19 vaccine
Editor's Note This study led by researchers from the Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, finds that COVID-19 vaccine-related messaging should address concerns about the vaccine and its development and reinforce its benefits to increase the willingness of US adults to get the COVID-19 vaccine and to get the vaccine under an…
45% of adults surveyed considering mental health treatment because of COVID-19
Editor's Note In a Vida Health survey, nearly half of some 2,000 US adults say they have thought about seeking mental health treatment because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the January 19 Human Resource Executive. The vast majority (88%) of those surveyed report mental health symptoms, such as: difficulty…
J&Jโs single-dose COVID-19 vaccine has good safety profile
Editor's Note Results from Johnson & Johnsonโs early-stage trials for its COVID-19 vaccine showed neutralizing antibodies in all participants who received the vaccine when they were tested at 57 days. The J&J Ad26.COV2.S vaccine is different than the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines in that it is anenovirus-based rather than mRNA-based.…
Chicago, Los Angeles hospitals to close
Editor's Note Owners of hospitals in Chicago and Los Angeles plan to close their facilities in the first half of 2021, the January 14 Beckerโs Hospital Review reports. Olympia Medical Center in Los Angeles informed its workers on December 31, 2020, that the hospital would be suspending all patient care…
Parsing COVID-19 transmission routes informs levels of protection needed
Information about COVID-19 transmission and treatment has evolved between the time this infectious disease first emerged and now. As evidence-based knowledge grows and protocols change, and as populations are vaccinated to develop herd immunity, there is increasing optimism about the ability to combat the virus. Meanwhile, it is important to…
Supply chain strategies shift to meet pandemic-induced demands
Resiliency, a term that has cropped up repeatedly during the COVID-19 pandemic, is often considered a key defense against burnout. But it is also important in the context of the healthcare supply chain, says Ed Hisscock, senior vice president of supply chain management at Trinity Health, a 22-state healthcare system…
Editorial
The rollout of COVID-19 vaccines starting in December 2020 was the one bright spot in an otherwise tragic year with a rapidly rising death toll currently over 385,000. Distribution of the 20 million doses promised by year end was thwarted by problems such as lack of coordination and lack of…
Expanding reprocessing programs can yield cost savings
The financial impact of COVID-19 on healthcare providers has been considerable. With experts predicting that half of all US hospitals would be operating in the red by the end of 2020, healthcare leaders have had to seek multiple ways to cut costs. The expansion of single-use medical device (SUD) reprocessing…