Editor's Note On August 23, the American Nurses Association (ANA), American Medical Association (AMA), and American Hospital Association (AHA) released a joint statement commending the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) full approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. The approval marks an important moment for those concerned about getting vaccinated because…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration on August 23 announced that it had approved the first COVID-19 vaccine, known as Pfizer-BioNTech. The vaccine will now be marketed as Comirnaty, for the prevention of COVID-19 in those 16 years of age and older. The vaccine will continue to be available…

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Editor's Note This study by researchers with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds that from May 3 to July 25, 2021, there were 1,271 new COVID-19 hospitalizations among fully vaccinated adults in New York, compared with 7,308 among unvaccinated adults. Hospitalization rates declined through the week of…

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Editor's Note Data from a new survey of more than 4,500 nurses conducted by the American Nurses Association (ANA) in conjunction with the Johnson & Johnson-sponsored “COVID Vaccine Facts for Nurses” campaign finds that about 90% are vaccinated against COVID-19 or plan to be vaccinated. Other findings from the survey…

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Editor's Note The Louisiana Department of Health has requested 6,000 military nurses to help handle increasing patient volumes in the state because of the surge in COVID-19 cases, the August 17 k945.com reports. The report also notes that: 95% of all COVID-19 cases in Louisiana are due to the Delta…

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Editor's Note This international multicenter study led by UK researchers finds that the first wave of COVID-19 significantly impacted surgical patients in peak months—directly by comorbid infections and indirectly by increasing mortality, irrespective of COVID-19 status. In this analysis of 3,176 emergency adult surgical patients from 18 countries (between March…

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Editor's Note American Hospital Association statistics show that 1,850 US hospitals, or nearly 30%, have now announced COVID-19 vaccination mandates for their healthcare workers (HCWs), the August 17 Becker’s Hospital Review reports. Several states, including California, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Main, also are requiring HCWs to get vaccinated.…

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Editor's Note This study by Johns Hopkins researchers finds that regardless of vaccine reaction or prior COVID-19 infection, both mRNA vaccines provide a robust antibody response in healthcare workers (HCWs). Questionnaires and serum samples were collected from 954 HCWs at 14 or more days after their second doses of either…

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Editor's Note New research from Qualtrics finds that 44% of US workers would think about leaving their jobs if their employers introduced a vaccine mandate, the August 19 Quartz at Work reports. This number is up from 39% in March; however, 38% said they would consider leaving their jobs if…

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Editor's Note The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) and Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) on August 4 updated their guidance for perioperative testing for COVID-19 to say that all patients having anesthetics or surgical procedures with the potential to generate aerosols should have preoperative testing for COVID-19, regardless of their…

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