CDC expands requirement for negative COVID-19 test to all airline passengers entering US
Editor's Note Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert R. Redfield, MD, on January 12, signed an order to expand the requirement for a negative COVID-19 test to all airline passengers entering the US. The order, which will become effective January 26, requires that: Airline passengers get a…
CDC: COVID-19 trends in individuals aged 0-24 years
Editor's Note This study by researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds that COVID-19 cases in children, adolescents, and young adults increased during the review period (March 1-December 12), with spikes in early summer, followed by a decline, and then a steep increase from October through…
Joint Commission approves four new EPs for office-based surgery
Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on January 13, announced that it had approved four new elements of performance (EPs) for office-based surgery practices that prescribe medication. The EPs for Medication Management Standard MM.04.01.01, which will become effective July 1, address the following: Having a written policy that identifies specific medication…
Protective immunity against COVID-19 could last 8 months or more
Editor's Note This study led by researchers from the Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, California, finds that response to COVID-19 by the immune system can last for at least 8 months after the onset of symptoms. The researchers measured antibodies, memory…
CDC clarifies guidance on COVID-19 vaccinations
Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on January 8 updated its guidance to clarify that overlapping may occur in phases of vaccinating priority groups, Reuters reports. The CDC reiterated that priority recipients of the COVID-19 vaccines are still healthcare workers, nursing home residents, those aged 75…
Factors influencing patient decisions to participate in telepsychiatric care during COVID-19
Editor's Note This study examines factors influencing patients’ decisions to accept or decline telepsychiatry care after stay-at-home orders were initiated in Michigan. Researchers from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, surveyed 244 patients whose in-person appointments were scheduled within the first 3 weeks of stay-at-home orders. The majority (202, 82.8%)…
Healthcare adds 38,800 jobs in December
Editor's Note Healthcare employment in the US rose in December to a seasonally adjusted 16,005,200 workers, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on January 8. That’s 31,000 more workers than in November and the largest monthly increase since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The overall unemployment rate is 6.7%.
COVID-19 transmission from asymptomatic individuals
Editor's Note This decision analytical model from researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that transmission of COVID-19 by asymptomatic individuals accounts for more than half of all transmissions. Combining baseline assumptions that peak infectiousness occurs at the median of symptom onset and that 30% never develop…
HHS renews COVID-19 public health emergency
Editor's Note Department of Health & Human Services Secretary Alex Azar on January 8 announced the renewal of the COVID-19 national public health emergency declaration, the American Hospital Association reports. The renewal is effective January 21 and will last 90 days. The declaration provides hospitals, health systems, and healthcare workers…
Ofstead & Associates offering free access to webinars until January 21
Editor's Note Cori L. Ofstead, MSPH, President and CEO of Ofstead & Associates, has announced that Ofstead & Associates is offering all of their webinars for free until January 21. The CE-eligible webinars include: Uncovering device adverse events to improve safety for patients and personnel Respiratory protection: Unmasked. A selection…