Editor's Note In this study, funded by the US Department of Veterans Affairs, researchers find that remdesivir probably improves recovery from COVID-19 and reduces serious adverse events and mortality. This analysis of four randomized trials finds that remdesivir compared with placebo may improve recovery (ARD, 7% to 10%), reduce mortality…
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on October 6 released guidance on how it will implement an interim final rule that requires hospitals and critical access hospitals to report data on COVID-19 and flu patients. CMS says failure to report specified data may lead to termination…
Editor's Note This international, multicenter study finds that dedicated COVID-19-free surgical pathways should be established to provide safe elective cancer surgery during the pandemic. Researchers from more than 130 countries examined data on 9,171 patients in 55 countries from the start of the pandemic to the middle of April 2020.…
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on October 6 released guidance on the data and information needed to support the issuance of emergency use authorization (EUA) for COVID-19 vaccines. The recommended data and information include: chemistry, manufacturing, and controls information clinical and nonclinical data and information administration and…
Editor's Note In this study, researchers from the University of Bristol in the UK, find that intubation and extubation of patients during general anesthesia may produce only a fraction of the aerosols previously thought, much less than that produced during a regular cough. The researchers conducted real-time, high-resolution environmental monitoring…
Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on October 5, issued updated guidance to its "How COVID-19 Spreads" website, which includes information on the potential for airborne spread of the virus. The CDC says that, based on current science, it continues to believe people are more likely…
Editor's Note More than 86% of nursing leaders say they feel prepared for a future COVID-19 surge, in a Joslin Marketing survey of more than 1,800 members of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL). Respondents to the July survey said their biggest challenges included: communicating and implementing policy changes…
Editor's Note Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), Alex Azar, on October 2, renewed the national public health emergency (PHE) for COVID-19 for another 90 days. The renewal will take effect October 23. This is the third renewal of PHE, which has been in effect since late January. The…
Editor's Note Universal COVID-19 testing of children before they have general anesthesia promotes efficient use of personal protective equipment (PPE), finds this study presented October 3 at the Anesthesiology 2020 annual meeting. Overall, 1,033 children who had anesthesia at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia between March 26 and May 11, 2020,…
Editor's Note This survey by researchers at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, between April 23 and 27, finds the public’s preferences for allocating a COVID-19 vaccine consistent with experts’ recommendations that offer vaccine priority to groups defined by age, risk of dying, and employment type. Of 1,007 American adults surveyed:…