Editor's Note The US averaged 48,000 new COVID-19 cases per day in the past week. This is a 15% improvement from last week, and the first time since October 2020 that average daily cases have fallen below 50,000. Nationally, deaths from COVID-19 fell 3% to 4,819, the fewest deaths in…

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Editor's Note In this study, led by researchers at Florida State University, Tallahassee, reusable cover gowns were found to provide increased protection, compared to disposable cover gowns. During personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that washable cloth…

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Editor's Note This study led by researchers at the University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, finds a sharp decline in breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer screening rates in 2020. This analysis of data on 60 million people in Medicare Advantage and commercial health plans across the US shows that…

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Editor's Note The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), on May 4, revoked its public health emergency approval for Plastikon Industries’ (Hayward, California) PLASMA N95-01 masks. The revocation was issued because a product audit by NIOSH failed to meet filter efficiency requirements. The mask is no longer approved…

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Editor's Note In this report, researchers from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, estimate the number of opioid-involved overdose deaths in Cook County over a 3-year period to highlight changes, before, during, and after the Illinois COVID-19 stay-at-home order. From January 2018 to December 2020, 4,283 overdose fatalities occurred…

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Editor's Note National Nurses Week begins on May 6 and ends on May 12, Florence Nightingale’s birthday. The theme for this year’s Nurses Week is “Nurses: A Voice to Lead—A vision for future healthcare.” The American Nurses Association (ANA) has a resource tool kit, free webinar, merchandise, and more for…

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Editor's Note This review study, led by researchers at the Harbor-University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center, Torrance, finds a significant negative effect of COVID-19 on general surgery residents’ operative experience. This retrospective review of 1,358 resident case logs from 16 general surgery programs in the US finds a 33.5%…

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Editor's Note This study from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, finds that intraoperative deaths negatively affect surgical team members, with a considerable number experiencing feelings of anger and depression. Of 120 OR team members completing a survey, 82 (68.3%) said they had prior experience with intraoperative deaths, referencing more than…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on April 28, reported that more than 98 million people in the US are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, which is 29.5% of the population. The count included two-dose vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech, as well as the Janssen/Johnson & Johnson’s…

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Editor's Note In this study, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that COVID-19 vaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna were 94% effective in preventing hospitalizations in US adults aged 65 and older who were fully vaccinated. The vaccines were 64% effective at preventing hospitalization in…

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