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Editorโs Note The Kilmer Innovations in Packaging (KIIP) group seeks your feedback on sterile medical device packaging. This group is passionate about sterile packaging and its role in the delivery of sterile, safe-to-use medical devices. We invite you to take a brief survey for a chance to win a $50…
US publicโs likelihood of getting COVID-19 vaccine
Editor's Note This study, led by researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, analyzed biweekly nationally representative survey data to describe changes over time in the publicโs likelihood of getting a COVID-19 vaccine. Among 8,167 respondents, the likelihood of getting a COVID-19 vaccine declined from 74% in early April…
CDC updates distribution of COVID-19 vaccines
Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on January 2, 2021, that a total of 13,071,925 COVID-19 vaccine doses had been distributed, and more than 4.2 million had been administered, according to the January 2 Reuters. The report also noted that 2,217,025 of the doses, which comprise…
Joint Commission issues Quick Safety on dangers of surgical smoke
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on December 15 issued a new Quick Safety that focuses on the dangers presented by surgical smoke. Surgical smoke is a byproduct created by the thermal destruction of tissue with lasers, electrosurgical systems, radio frequency devices, hyfrecators, ultrasonic scalpels, power tools, and other devices. Studies…
Estimates of COVID-19 infections in US healthcare workers
Editor's Note In this study, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers used a computer model to predict the number of COVID-19 infections in US healthcare workers. The estimate was based on the number of healthcare workers in China and Italy, which experienced peaks in COVID-19 cases before the US. The researchers estimated…
APIC urges healthcare workers, public to get vaccinated
Editor's Note Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) President Connie Steed, MSN, RN, CIC, FAPIC, on December 16, issued a statement urging healthcare workers and the public to get vaccinated with the COVI-19 vaccines when they are available. APIC supports the Centers for Disease Control and Preventionโs…
Take our survey to win a gift card
Editor's Note The Kilmer Innovations in Packaging (KIIP) group seeks your feedback on sterile medical device packaging. This group is passionate about sterile packaging and its role in the delivery of sterile, safe-to-use medical devices. We invite you to take a brief survey for a chance to win a $50…
Preop screening for COVID-19 in asymptomatic patients using chest CT, RT-PCR
Editor's Note This study from the Netherlands found that the added value of using chest CT in addition to RT-PCR to screen patients for COVID-19 before surgery was limited. Of 2,093 preoperative patients without COVID-19 symptoms analyzed, 1,224 were screened by CT and RT-PCR and 869 by chest CT only.…
Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine reaches 141 of 145 first-day locations
Editor's Note The first batch of the Pfizer/BioNTech's newly authorized COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use reached 141 of 145 targeted locations on the first day of its national rollout, a Department of Health and Human Services spokeswoman told Reuters. Four island territoriesโAmerican Samoa, Guam, North Mariana Islands, and the US…
COVID-19 patient readmissions, mortality after initial hospital discharge
Editor's Note In this study of COVID-19 patients in the nationwide Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system, researchers from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, found that 27% of survivors of hospitalization were readmitted or died by 60 days after discharge. Of 2,179 index hospitalizations for COVID-19: 678 (31.1%) were…