Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on June 30 announced that it is revoking the Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs) for non-NIOSH-approved disposable respirators (including N95s), effective July 6. The announcement also revokes EUAs for decontamination and bioburden reduction systems for disposable respirators, effective immediately. The FDA says the…

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Editor's Note This study led by researchers at the department of economics, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis, finds that state policies implemented in spring 2020 to protect hospital capacity and minimize deaths due to COVID-19 were associated with upward trends in hospitalizations and mortality after reopening. The researchers examined data collected…

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Editor's Note This study from Austria finds a high prevalence of mental disorders in high school students 1 year after the COVID-19 pandemic began. Of 3,052 adolescents who participated in the study: 55% had clinically relevant depressive symptoms 47% had clinically relevant anxiety symptoms 22.8% had clinically relevant moderate insomnia…

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Editor's Note The number of hospitals and healthcare systems mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for their healthcare workers (HCWs) is growing, the June 29 Becker’s Hospital Review reports. In chronological order, the organizations that have announced mandates as of June 29 are: Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, will require its workforce of…

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Editor's Note This survey of 26,174 public healthcare workers (HCWs) from March 29 to April 16, 2021, by researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), finds that 53% had experienced at least one mental health condition in the previous 2 weeks. Prevalences of symptoms were: depression: 32%…

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Editor's Note Wearing a surgical face mask can provide similar protection against aerosols as wearing a respirator, but face shields provide little or no protection, finds this study, which will be presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases July 9-12. German researchers compared 32 types of…

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Editor's Note This study led by researchers with the Southern California Permanente Medical Group, Pasadena, found no association in COVID-19 positivity rates among healthcare workers (HCWs) wearing respirator masks vs medical masks when performing nonaerosolizing, routine patient care. Of 1,414 HCWs involved in the study: 595 (42.1%) had exposures to…

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Editor's Note COVID-19 virus antibodies were detected in 106 specimens from American Red Cross blood donations in California, Oregon, and Washington, as early as December 13-16, 2019, finds this study by researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and American Red Cross. Similarly, antibodies were identified in blood…

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Editor's Note As of Monday, June 22, 150,424,675 Americans had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (45.3% of the population), and 177,635,067 had received at least one dose (53.5% of the population), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports. This tally includes two doses of the Moderna or Pfizer…

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Editor's Note This systematic review, meta-analysis, and trial sequential analysis by UK researchers find that the FDA-approved, anti-parasitic drug ivermectin could reduce COVID-19 related deaths and infections. The data showed: The use of ivermectin to treat patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 reduced risk of death by an average of 62%. The…

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