Editor's Note This study from Switzerland finds that COVID-19 positivity in healthcare workers (HCWs) was associated with cumulative patient exposure, which could be modulated with the use of respirator masks. Of 2,919 HCWs included in the study, 749 were infected with COVID-19. Positivity was 13% in HCWs without patient exposure.…

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Editor's Note Seven schools and hospitals have added nursing programs and partnerships to help tackle the US nursing shortage, the August 10 Becker’s Hospital Review reports. LSU Health New Orleans’ School of Nursing will offer three accelerated courses, beginning in January 2023. University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, is constructing a…

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Editor's Note This retrospective cohort study led by researchers at Ascension Health, St Louis, finds that COVID-19 infection is a risk factor for adverse peripartum maternal outcomes. Researchers evaluated the association of COVID-19 with severe maternal morbidities in patients delivering during four pandemic periods characterized by predominant variants—March-December 2020 (wild…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on August 11 updated its guidelines for COVID-19. The new recommendations focus on helping people better understand their risks, how to protect themselves and others, what actions to take if exposed, and what actions to take if they test positive…

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Editor's Note Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, have developed a simple new paper test that can measure the level of neutralizing antibodies in a blood sample. Using the same type of lateral flow technology that rapid antigen tests use, the new test is designed so that different…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on August 11 classified the recall by Becton Dickinson (BD) of its Intraosseous Infusion System, which includes Intraosseous Needle Set Kits, Intraosseous Manual Driver Kits, and Intraosseous Powered Drivers, as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated for three separate…

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Editor's Note This study led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, finds that being boosted with either the Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was associated with increased humoral and cellular immune responses. Boosting with the Janssen vaccine also was associated with durable antibody and T-cell…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on August 10 announced that it will collaborate with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) to offer Advanced Certification in Perinatal Care (ACPC) to accredited and nonaccredited hospitals and critical access hospitals with perinatal care programs, beginning January 1, 2023. The Joint Commission…

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Editor's Note This meta-analysis led by researchers at the National University of Singapore finds that recovery of the ability to taste and smell after COVID-19 infection may take up to 6 months, and women are more likely to experience loss of these senses and have a longer time to recovery.…

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Editor's Note This study led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego, finds that healthcare facilities in counties with higher Black composition and rural areas with large Hispanic populations were less likely to serve as COVID-19 vaccine administration locations during the initial rollout in May 2021. At that…

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