Editor's Note This study led by researchers at South Dakota State University in Brookings found that only 15% of healthcare workers (HCWs) in three rural communities had antibodies to COVID-19 over an 8-month period before vaccines came out. From May 13 through December 22, 2020, 336 volunteers at five healthcare…
Editor's Note The American College of Surgeons (ACS) on August 4 announced the launch of a “Talk It Up” campaign to help surgeons address their patients’ concerns and help them understand the importance of getting vaccinated against COVID-19. The campaign includes a series of videos about the importance of vaccination,…
Editor's Note Coronavirus sequencing research at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine has uncovered several COVID-19 variants present in its patient population, but Delta is the top one and easily transmitted. Though the researchers had identified just two cases of the Delta variant in Miami-Dade County a month…
Editor's Note As of August 1, 2021, more than 10,200 people in Florida were hospitalized with COVID-19, which surpasses the 10,179 reported during the previous peak on July 23, 2020, Becker’s Hospital Review reported on August 2. Because of this peak in hospitalizations, some Florida hospitals and healthcare systems are…
Editor's Note This study led by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Massachusetts Department of Public Health finds that people vaccinated against COVID-19 can carry as much coronavirus as those who are unvaccinated. After multiple large public events in a Barnstable County, Massachusetts town, 469…
Editor's Note Since Houston Methodist announced March 31 that all managers had to receive at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine or get an exemption by April 15, and all employees had to be vaccinated by June 7, more than 60 healthcare organizations have announced vaccination mandates for their…
Editor's Note This German study finds that social support and especially a higher sense of coherence were beneficial for the mental health of healthcare workers (HCWs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 4,324 HCWs from four professions (physicians, nurses, medical technical assistants, and pastoral workers) completed a survey on…
Editor's Note This study from two university hospitals in the Netherlands finds that healthcare workers (HCWs) on hospital COVID-19 wards are at increased risk for nosocomial COVID-19 infections and play an important role in HCW-to-HCW transmission. Of 801 hospital HCWs analyzed, 439 worked in patient care for those with COVID-19,…
Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on July 27 released new guidance recommending that “fully vaccinated people wear masks in public indoor settings” in areas with high COVID-19 transmission rates. The CDC cited data showing that some vaccinated people who tested positive for the Delta variant…
Editor's Note In this case study, craniofacial surgeons from Brazil describe their experience with a 28-year-old COVID-19-positive man who developed orbital cellulitis, requiring surgical intervention. A few weeks before, the man had a mild illness with fatigue and loss of smell and taste. He didn’t seek medical care until he…