Part 1 of this two-part series discussed the splashes and the potential for exposure to pathogens that personnel face daily in sterile processing and endoscopy departments, as well as the current guidelines and strategies for reducing exposures (OR Manager, July 2021, pp 1, 9-11, 15). These risks were derived from…

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Cancellations of some surgical procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic and case rescheduling have been a major focus for perioperative leaders. But changes are also occurring in anesthesia practices. For many surgical procedures, the use of regional anesthesia or nerve blocks, coupled with light sedation, is reported to double if the…

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Editor's Note New provisional data released July 14 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that more than 93,331 people died from drug overdoes in the US last year. The nearly 30% rise from 2019 was mostly triggered by COVID-19 pandemic-related stressors, treatment inaccessibility, and proliferation of…

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Editor's Note In this study by researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is based on surveys conducted just before the expanded availability of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for adolescents aged 12-15 years, about half of unvaccinated adolescents and their parents reported not intending for or being uncertain…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on July 9 updated its guidance for COVID-19 prevention in K-12 schools and urged schools to fully reopen in the fall even if they can’t comply with all the recommendations on physical distancing and mask-wearing. The agency says if maintaining…

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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 This survey of 26,174 public healthcare workers (HCWs) from March 29 to April 16, 2021, by researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), finds that 53% had experienced at least one mental health condition in the previous 2 weeks. Prevalences of symptoms were: depression: 32%…

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Editor's Note COVID-19 virus antibodies were detected in 106 specimens from American Red Cross blood donations in California, Oregon, and Washington, as early as December 13-16, 2019, finds this study by researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and American Red Cross. Similarly, antibodies were identified in blood…

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Editor's Note As of Monday, June 22, 150,424,675 Americans had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (45.3% of the population), and 177,635,067 had received at least one dose (53.5% of the population), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports. This tally includes two doses of the Moderna or Pfizer…

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Does it really matter if surgical instruments are submerged in cleaning solution when technologists or nurses scrub them after a case? Is there a reason for the 3-foot separation between dirty and clean areas? Do germs stop at the red line? During the COVID-19 pandemic, much attention has been focused…

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