Editor's Note This study from the Cleveland Clinic finds that patient satisfaction with virtual healthcare visits is comparable to traditional in-person visits. Researchers surveyed 426 adult patients who had virtual visits from June 21 to July 12, 2017. Among the findings: 92.9% believed their virtual visit clinician was interested in…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a joint statement on July 8 saying that fully vaccinated Americans do not need COVID-19 booster shots at this time. The statement says the CDC, FDA, and National Institutes of Health are engaged…

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Editor's Note In this study, researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, found no vaccine-associated mRNA—the active components of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines—in breast milk samples collected 4 to 48 hours after COVID-19 vaccinations. Thirteen breast milk samples were collected from 7 breastfeeding women before vaccination and at…

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Editor's Note In this study, researchers from the University of California, Irvine, found a rapid and sustained decline in COVID-19 symptomatic and asymptomatic infections in healthcare workers (HCWs) after vaccination. Of 10,188 HCWs included in the study, 58% received a first dose within 2 weeks of when vaccinations started, and…

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Editor's Note Since listing the hospitals and health systems mandating COVID-19 vaccination for its employees on June 29 ( https://www.ormanager.com/briefs/growing-number-of-hospitals-healthcare-systems-mandating-covid-19-vaccinations-for-hcws/ ), Becker’s Hospital Review has added five more, bringing the number to 26. In chronological order, the five additional organizations that have added mandates as of July 8 are: Trinity Health, Livonia,…

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Editor's Note This study led by researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, finds that US hospitals may not be adequately prepared for future pandemics. The 10-year analysis found only marginal improvements in a measurement to assess preparedness—Hospital Medical Surge Preparedness Index (HMSPI)—during the years leading up…

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Editor's Note This randomized controlled clinical trial led by German researchers finds a concern of mask-wearing causing hypercapnia (excessive carbon dioxide in the bloodstream) in children. In this analysis of 45 children, carbon dioxide levels were measured at baseline without a face mask and during inhalation and exhalation under surgical…

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Editor's Note In this study by researchers at the Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, mass COVID-19 preprocedure testing detected positive asymptomatic patients who were missed by clinical screening alone. The median test turnaround time was 7.8 hours. Of 75, 528 preprocedure tests performed: 318 (0.4%) patients tested positive…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on June 30 announced that it is revoking the Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs) for non-NIOSH-approved disposable respirators (including N95s), effective July 6. The announcement also revokes EUAs for decontamination and bioburden reduction systems for disposable respirators, effective immediately. The FDA says the…

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Editor's Note Escape Rooms, which were conceived as a social activity, yielded themselves as a low-cost, high-impact and effective tool for healthcare education during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study from the Central Texas Veterans Healthcare System finds. The Pandemic Escape Room ran every half hour for 4 days, providing 48…

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