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…

Read More

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’…

Read More

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…

Read More

Editor's Note The number of new COVID-19 cases in the US dropped 12%, deaths fell 18%, and hospitalizations declined 16% last week, the March 8 Reuters reports. At the same time, an average of 2.2 million COVID-19 vaccines were administered each day, up from 1.6 million the week before. Despite…

Read More

Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced March 3 that it has asked 25 firms to stop producing and issuing misleading “FDA registration certificates” and FDA logos that create the impression the FDA has approved or authorized their products. The firms include mask, respirator, face shield, and other…

Read More

Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on March 1 identified the recall by Medtronic of its HeartWare Ventricular Assist Device (HVAD) Pump Implant Kits as Class I, the most serious. The kit is part of the HeartWare HVAD System, which is used to help the heart pump blood…

Read More

Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on February 27 issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose COVID-19 vaccine, making it the third coronavirus vaccine approved for use in the US. The vaccine can be administered to people ages 18 and older. Vaccinations will begin…

Read More

Editor's Note Up to 4 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) single-dose COVID-19 vaccine will be delivered to states, community health centers, and pharmacies next week, if the vaccine receives Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), the February 24 The Hill reports. An…

Read More

Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), US Department of Agriculture (USDA), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on February 18, issued a statement saying there is no epidemiological evidence out of more than 100 million cases globally that COVID-19 can be transmitted through food or food…

Read More

Implants are foreign bodies, and they increase the risk of a surgical site infection. Processing implants requires strict adherence to the required steps because implants have sustained contact with sterile tissue. An implant is defined as a device that is placed into a surgically or naturally formed cavity of the…

Read More