Editor's Note In a science brief based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) analysis of the latest available data, the agency says the risk of getting COVID-19 from surfaces “is generally considered to be low.” The CDC noted that: The risk of COVID-19 infection via surface transmission…

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Editor's Note This study led by the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, finds that early in the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a substantial increase in telehealth use across all surgical specialties, with a slow decline after June 2020. Of 4,405 surgeons included in the study, 2,588 (58.8%) used telehealth in…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on April 2, updated its information for travelers to say people who are fully vaccinated can travel safely within the US. The update notes that fully vaccinated travelers do not have to be tested before or after travel unless required…

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Editor's report A new report released by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) on March 23 details how the COVID-19 pandemic has created new problems and worsened existing issues at US hospitals, leaving staff frustrated, exhausted, and burned out. Among the problems outlined…

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Editor's Note In this study from Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, researchers found that surgical masks alone surpassed protection by face shields, and a combination of both was similar to surgical masks alone. Researchers simulated human speaking to examine the transmission of aerosols using blood agar plates (simulating…

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Editor's Note This survey by researchers at the Geisinger Health System, Danville, Pennsylvania, shows a trend of increased intention by healthcare workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. A total of 16,292 employees completed the survey, for a response rate of 68.5%. During the period of survey data collection, the researchers…

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Editor's Note This study by researchers from Emory University in Atlanta and the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston finds the presence of neutralizing activity of infection- and vaccine-elicited antibodies against COVID-19 variants. The variants included in the analysis were: A.1 (closely resembles Wuhan strain) B.1 (predominant strain found…

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Editor's Note The American Nurses Association (ANA) is joining with the World Health Organization (WHO) in extending the "Year of the Nurse" into 2021. This extension builds on the recognition of nurses’ contributions in fighting COVID-19 and ANA’s expansion of National Nurses Week to National Nurses Month in May. The…

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The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of respiratory protection in healthcare settings and in the community. Healthcare workers at high risk of infection need the most effective respiratory protection, and not all surgical masks and respirators are alike. Checking for proper fit, donning and doffing correctly, and following manufacturers’…

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The Janssen Biotech, Inc/Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on February 27, joining the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines that received EUA in December 2020. In early March, President Biden said that the US would produce enough COVID-19 vaccines…

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