Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) on April 16 provided an update on a potential treatment for COVID-19, called convalescent plasma, and encouraged those who have recovered from the coronavirus to donate this antibody-rich plasma to help others fight this disease. Patients who have fully recovered for at…

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Editor's Note Safe Flight Instrument Corporation (White Plains, New York), a company that develops aircraft safety and performance technology, has developed the Quad/Vent Splitter that allows four patients to use one ventilator simultaneously, the April 13 Aviation International News Online reports. Using 3-D printing, the device has four independent ports…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission, in its April 8 online newsletter, announced the creation of a web portal with resources to assist healthcare workers create capacity for surge patients with COVID-19. Included are: Use of Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASC) as Alternative Care Sites for Hospitals Emergency Management Healthcare Environment Checklist…

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Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) on April 7 issued an update on actions the agency has taken in its ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The actions include: a guidance for remote ophthalmic assessment and monitoring devices to facilitate patient care while reducing patient and healthcare provider…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) announced April 3 that it is modifying existing surveillance systems to track COVID-19 and will be posting weekly reports each Friday. The report, “COVIDView,” summarizes and interprets key indicators, including information related to COVID-19 outpatient visits, emergency department visits, hospitalizations,…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on March 31 issued a statement saying it supports letting healthcare staff bring their own standard face masks or respirators from home when their facilities cannot provide access to protective equipment that is equivalent to their exposure risk, during the COVID-19 pandemic. In taking this…

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Editor's Note The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced on March 29 that the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) had issued an emergency use authorization for hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine in the treatment of COVID-19. The FDA allowed for the drugs to be “donated to the Strategic National Stockpile…

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Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) on March 24 took action to increase US supplies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic by providing instructions to manufacturers importing personal protective equipment (PPE) and other devices. The instructions to manufacturers clarify the types of PPE and devices they can import…

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Editor's Note: The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) on March 25 announced several actions it has taken in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These include: In response to the demand for hand sanitizers and their active ingredient, alcohol, the FDA issued guidance to alcohol manufacturers on how to incorporate…

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Editor's Note In the first half of February only three cases of COVID-19 were identified in Italy, and all had recently traveled to China. On February 20, a case of pneumonia due to SARS-CoV-2 was diagnosed in northern Italy’s Lombardy region. Within 14 days, many other cases of COVID-19 were diagnosed in…

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