Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) on March 24 took action to increase US supplies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic by providing instructions to manufacturers importing personal protective equipment (PPE) and other devices. The instructions to manufacturers clarify the types of PPE and devices they can import…

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Editor's Note Nasopharyngeal and throat swabs are typically used for viral load monitoring of respiratory infections, but they cause discomfort for patients and put healthcare workers at risk. This study found that posterior oropharyngeal saliva specimens, which are obtained by patients themselves, are an acceptable alternative for initial diagnosis and…

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Editor's Note: The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) on March 25 announced several actions it has taken in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These include: In response to the demand for hand sanitizers and their active ingredient, alcohol, the FDA issued guidance to alcohol manufacturers on how to incorporate…

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Editor's Note In the first half of February only three cases of COVID-19 were identified in Italy, and all had recently traveled to China. On February 20, a case of pneumonia due to SARS-CoV-2 was diagnosed in northern Italy’s Lombardy region. Within 14 days, many other cases of COVID-19 were diagnosed in…

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Editor's Note The American College of Surgeons (ACS), Association of perioperative Registered Nurses (AORN), and the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) on March 24 released a joint statement regarding decision making on elective surgeries. The statement includes that: "A Surgical Review Committee, composed of surgery, anesthesiology, and nursing personnel is…

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Editor's Note The general public in the US and UK have important misconceptions about COVID-19, this study finds. In this survey of 3,000 participants residing in the US and 3,000 residing in the UK, researchers identified several important misconceptions on how to prevent acquisition of COVID-19, including beliefs in falsehoods…

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Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration on March 23 issued a Safety Alert to inform healthcare providers and patients of the potential risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 virus by the use of fecal microbiota for transplantation (FMT), and that the agency has determined that additional safety protections are needed.…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention on March 17 updated its strategies for optimizing personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies, including facemasks. The strategies are based on surge capacity and include: *Conventional capacity: Patient care is provided without any change in daily practices. Use facemasks according to product…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on March 22 extended the deadlines for quality reporting and applications for providers, clinicians, and facilities in value-based care (VBC) programs as they face a growing number of COVID-19 patients. CMS also announced that it will not use any data…

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Editor's Note This first preliminary description of outcomes in COVID-19 patients in the US between February 12 and March 16, 2020, indicates that fatalities were: 10% to 27% in patients aged 85 or more 3% to 11% in patients aged 65-84 years 1% to 3% in patients aged 55-64 years…

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