Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on May 12, listed the top 5 standards most frequently identified as “not compliant” during surveys and reviews from January 1 to December 31, 2020. The top five for accredited hospitals are: NPSG.15.01.01: Reduce the risk for suicide. EP1. IC.02.02.01: The hospital reduces the risk…

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Editor's Note This study from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, finds that COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are immunogenic in pregnant and lactating women, and they induce immune responses against variants. For the study, researchers enrolled 30 pregnant, 16 lactating, and 57 neither pregnant nor lactating women…

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Editor's Note This study by researchers at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, finds that disparities in access to orthopedic care persisted as orthopedic surgical patients were shifted to telemedicine during COVID-19. The researchers analyzed nearly 2,000 orthopedic patients receiving care via telemedicine from March to May…

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Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration announced on April 20 that Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) was recalling certain lots of its ChloraPrep Hi-Lite Orange 26 mL Applicator. ChloraPrep is used as an antiseptic to prepare a patient’s skin before surgery. The recall was initiated because the Applicator, which…

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Editor's Note This study from the University of Virginia School of Medicine and School of Engineering, Charlottesville, finds that wastewater-based monitoring for COVID-19 is an effective means for detecting and controlling the virus in congregate living settings. The researchers monitored wastewater from two student dormitory complexes for 8 weeks and…

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Editor's Note On May 10, Reuters reported that COVID-19 cases in the US dropped 17% to less than 290,000 for the week ending May 9. This is the fourth week in a row that new cases have decreased, and the fewest weekly cases since September. COVID-19 deaths fell 1.3% to…

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Editor's Note This study from St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis,  finds an association between vaccination with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in hospital employees and a decreased risk of symptomatic and asymptomatic COVID-19 infections. Between December 17, 2020, and March 20, 2021, 5,217 healthcare workers (HCWs) met vaccination criteria—3,052 (58.5%) received…

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Editor's Note This randomized, controlled trial by Danish researchers finds that wearing surgical masks to supplement other public health measures did not significantly reduce the COVID-19 infection rate, compared with no mask. Of 6,024 trial participants, 3,030 were randomly assigned to wear high-quality surgical face masks with a filtration rate…

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Editor's Note The US averaged 48,000 new COVID-19 cases per day in the past week. This is a 15% improvement from last week, and the first time since October 2020 that average daily cases have fallen below 50,000. Nationally, deaths from COVID-19 fell 3% to 4,819, the fewest deaths in…

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Editor's Note In this study, led by researchers at Florida State University, Tallahassee, reusable cover gowns were found to provide increased protection, compared to disposable cover gowns. During personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that washable cloth…

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