Editor's Note A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by employees of Houston Methodist who challenged the health system’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate, the June 13 New York Times reports. US District Judge Lynn N. Hughes issued a ruling June 12 that upheld the hospital’s policy and noted that the…

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Editor's Note This study by researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) expands on previous work showing increases in emergency department (ED) visits for suspected suicide attempts early in the pandemic for all ages and suggests that these trends persisted for those aged 12 to 17 years.…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on June 10, announced the Class I recall of Innova Medical Group’s SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Rapid Qualitative Test. The test, which claimed to determine if a person has an active COVID-19 infection, has not been authorized, cleared, or approved by the FDA for…

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Editor's Note This study by researchers at the Cleveland Clinic finds that those who have been infected with COVID-19 do not get additional benefits from the vaccine, suggesting that vaccines should be prioritized to individuals who have not gotten the infection. During this analysis of 52,238 Cleveland Clinic employees over…

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Editor's Note The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) announced on June 9 that it will require COVID-19 vaccinations for all employees, beginning September 1, 2021. UMMS leaders at the manager level and above have until August 1, 2021, to be vaccinated. All UMMS team members and partners, including contractors,…

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Editor's Note This study by researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds that since adult COVID-19 vaccinations began in the US in December 2020, there has been a: 40% decline in cases 59% decrease in emergency department (ED) visits 65% drop in hospital admissions 66% decline…

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Editor's Note Houston Methodist has suspended 178 healthcare workers (HCWs) for not following a hospital policy that requires employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, the June 7 New York Times reports. After warning employees last month that they had to be vaccinated by June 7 or face suspension, 117 HCWs…

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Editor's Note Two studies suggest that immunity to COVID-19 persists for at least a year and perhaps a lifetime, the May 26 New York Times reports. Researchers focused on memory B cells, which retain a memory of the COVID-19 virus. They found that even though the patients’ antibody levels fell…

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Editor's Note Utah’s high school COVID-19 testing programs saved in-person instruction days and facilitated the continuation of extracurricular activities during a period of high COVID-19 incidence among high-school aged students, this study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds. Utah implemented two COVID-19 testing programs: Test to Play—testing…

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Editor's Note The CEO of Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora declared a “State of Emergency” on May 25, saying pediatric emergency departments and inpatient units are being “overrun with kids attempting suicide and suffering from other forms of major mental health illness.” In the last 2 years, Children’s has had…

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