CDC: 85% of COVID-19 patients report โalwaysโ or โoftenโ wearing masks
Editor's Note Recently published data from a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds that 70.6% of COVID-19-positive patients report โalwaysโ wearing a mask, 14.4% report โoftenโ wearing a mask, and 3.9% report โneverโ wearing a mask (See Table: Reported use of cloth face covering or…
Joint Commission: Lab surveyors to evaluate CMS reporting requirements for COVID-19 testing results
Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced October 14 that, effective October 15, surveyors will evaluate the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) reporting requirements for COVID-19 testing results in the Laboratory Accreditation Program. Surveyors will review documentation of COVID-19 test result reporting during the Regulatory Review session of an…
Study finds lasting protection in patients who have recovered from COVID-19
Editor's Note This study led by researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, finds that patients who survive serious COVID-19 infections have a long-lasting immune response against the virus. The study includes a cohort of case patients with known COVID-19 infection (343) and controls (1,548). Blood…
Joint Commission issues new Quick Safety on telehealth
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on October 7 issued a new Quick Safety that focuses on the use of telehealth to deliver patient care while preventing exposure to COVID-19. Other benefits of telehealth in the Quick Safety include: promoting social distancing monitoring the progression of home-quarantined COVID-19 patients enabling providers…
Increased unemployment linked to increased pediatric hospitalizations
Editor's Note This study by researchers from Childrenโs Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, Missouri, and others found that for four economy-sensitive conditions, increased unemployment was associated with increased pediatric hospitalizations. A 1% increase in unemployment was associated with a: 5% increase in hospitalization for substance abuse 4% increase for diabetes 2%…
WHO warns against COVID-19 lockdowns
Editor's Note David Nabarro, MD, the World Health Organizationโs (WHOโs) special envoy on COVID-19 in a video interview on October 10 urged world leaders to stop using lockdowns as their primary COVID-19 control method. He added that WHO believes the only time a lockdown is justified is to buy time…
Study: Remdesivir vs placebo for COVID-19 treatment
Editor's Note In this double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study of IV remdesivir in adults hospitalized with COVID-19 and lower respiratory tract infection, remdesivir was found to be superior to placebo in shortening the time to recovery. A total of 1,062 patients were randomized to either remdesivir (541) or placebo (521). Remdesivir…
CMS halts COVID-19 testing in non-CLIA-certified labs
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on October 9 announced that it is taking action to stop labs that are testing for COVID-19 without proper Clinical Laboratory Improvements Amendments (CLIA) certification. The agency has issued 171 cease-and-desist letters to US facilities that were testing for COVID-19…
COVID-19-related delays for CRC screening causing 11.9% increase in mortality
Editor's Note New research presented October 12 at UEG [United European Gastroenterology] Week Virtual 2020 shows that delays in colorectal cancer (CRC) screening caused by COVID-19 has resulted in significantly increased mortality rates. Researchers at the University of Bologna, Italy, developed a model to forecast the impact of delayed CRC…
AI, robots to transform hospitals' resilience to COVID-19, future disasters
Editor's Note Leandro Pecchia, PhD, associate professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Warwick, Coventry, UK, has been awarded ยฃ13 million (nearly $17 million) for the ODIN project. The project will explore the use of robots and artificial intelligence (AI) to ease pressures on hospitals during recovery from COVID-19…