Editor's Note This study led by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, investigates the effectiveness of a daily attestation system for healthcare workers (HCWs) to help identify COVID-19 cases and prevent spread. The attestation system, “COVID Pass,” comprises symptom-screening, self-referrals to occupational health services, and/or COVID-19 testing. Researchers analyzed…

Read More

Editor's Note In this study, researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine find that the initial COVID-19 shutdown from March through April 2020 resulted in a decrease in surgical volume to nearly half of baseline rates. After the reopening, surgical volume rebounded to 2019 levels, and the trend was maintained.…

Read More

Editor's Note New York will require 32 upstate hospitals with limited capacity to halt elective surgical procedures as COVID-19 cases increase in the state, the December 7 Becker’s Hospital Review reports. The state defined limited capacity as less than 10% staffed bed capacity, or as determined by the health department…

Read More

Editor's Note This study by researchers from the University of Illinois Chicago finds that about 3 in 20 healthcare workers (HCWs) surveyed reported being hesitant about getting COVID-19 vaccinations. The study also finds that HCW vaccine decisions were influenced by their colleagues. The survey included 1,974 respondents from three Chicago…

Read More

Editor's Note This study by researchers at Stony Brook University in New York finds that low wind speeds and warm stale air are associated with a higher incidence of contracting COVID-19 virus when people socialize outside. Overall, the analysis showed that days with temperatures ranging from 61º to 82º F…

Read More

Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on December 1, issued a statement that the California and San Francisco Departments of Public Health have confirmed that a recent case of COVID-19 in an individual in California was caused by the Omicron variant (B.1.1.529). The individual, who has mild…

Read More

Editor's Note The findings of this study by Israeli and Yale University researchers suggest that the waning of vaccine-induced protection against COVID-19 is counteracted in the short-term by a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. In this case-controlled analysis of 306,710 Israeli adults 40 years and older, there was a…

Read More

Editor's Note A Louisiana federal judge, on November 30, blocked the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers (HCWs) at facilities participating in Medicare and Medicaid nationwide, the November 30 Axios reports. In his ruling, the judge says the executive branch does not have the authority to bypass Congress in enforcing…

Read More

Editor's Note This study led by researchers from Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, finds that healthcare workers (HCWs) had significant changes in their personal and professional lives during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, before the availability of vaccines. Findings from this analysis of 1,344 HCWs (ie, nurses,…

Read More

Editor's Note A federal judge, on November 29, blocked a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) mandate requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for healthcare workers (HCWs) in facilities participating in CMS programs in 10 states, the November 29 Bloomberg Law reports. In his ruling, the judge says the CMS mandate requires…

Read More