Editor's Note This study by researchers at Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, finds that out-of-hospital (community and home) exposure to COVID-19 had the largest association with seropositive status of healthcare workers. Of 6,150 healthcare workers analyzed, nurses, medical assistants, and support services workers were at highest risk for…

Read More

Editor's Note The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) and Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) issued a joint statement December 8 on performing elective surgery and anesthesia on COVID-19 patients who have recovered from the virus. The statement notes that: In general, all non-urgent procedures should be delayed until the patient…

Read More

Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on December 8, released documents that confirmed the safety and efficacy of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, the Associated Press reports. The vaccine was co-developed with BioNTech. FDA regulators posted their analysis online, as the UK began administering doses of the vaccine to its…

Read More

Editor's Note This large US study of patients who contracted COVID-19 confirms and provides risk estimates for numerous complications of the disease. Using US health claims data of 70,288 patients who had a COVID-19-related healthcare visit between March 1 and April 30, 2020, researchers found that 53.4% were admitted to…

Read More

Editor's Note This study led by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds that implementing and monitoring adherence to recommended COVID-19 mitigation strategies can reduce the risk for transmission in child care settings. In collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children…

Read More

Editor's Note Employment in US hospitals was up 4,700 jobs in November to a seasonally adjusted 5,160,800, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on December 4. That’s down 76,000 employees than a year ago. Overall, healthcare employment is at 15,979,800, which has decreased 439,400 in the past year. The overall…

Read More

Editor's Note Brief huddles, rather than a barrage of emails and texts about safety and risk may be the fastest and simplest way for healthcare workers to avoid communication overload from COVID-19, this study from Baylor University reports. Interviews of 40 workers in two hospitals found the following: Healthcare workers…

Read More

Editor's Note The American Hospital Association (AHA) on December 5 announced that the AHA, American Medical Association (AMA), and American Nurses Association (ANA) released an open letter to the American public on December 1, affirming their support for vaccines as a critical means for protecting individuals and communities from COVID-19.…

Read More

Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on December 2 changed its recommended quarantine period for people who have come in contact with COVID-19 positive individuals. Instead of the standard 14 days, the CDC now allows individuals who have come in contact with someone infected with the…

Read More

Editor's Note This study led by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland, finds that vaccinations with mRNA-1273 (Moderna) have the potential to provide durable humoral immunity. This report describes immunogenicity data for mRNA-1273 at 119 days after the first vaccination and 90 days after the second…

Read More