Articles Tagged With: COVID-19
-
Omicron Created Problems of Too Few Staff, Too Many Patients, Too Much Distress
After two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare leaders know how to react and prepare. But with omicron, the earlier lessons learned were not enough to prevent patient surges and staffing shortages. -
Using Breathing Techniques for Exertion and Anxiety During COVID Lockdowns
In a small prospective study comparing four breathing techniques, the maximum statistically significant effect on reduced perceived exertion during breath-holding is associated with a yoga breathing method called anulom vilom pranayama (alternate nostril breathing).
-
The Effect of Disease-Modifying Therapies for Multiple Sclerosis on the Immune Responses to COVID-19 Vaccination
An analysis of a large group of patients with multiple sclerosis taking various disease-modifying therapies showed that the response to COVID-19 vaccination was not uniform across the therapies. Patients taking anti-CD20 therapies and fingolimod had attenuated responses to vaccines.
-
Infectious Disease Alert Updates
Mandating COVID-19 Vaccination for Healthcare Workers — Revisited; SARS-CoV-2 as a North American Zoonosis; VIRSTA vs. PREDICT in Predicting Endocarditis
-
COVID-19 Vaccination Prevents Systemic Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS-C)
The estimated effectiveness of two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in the prevention of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children was 91%.
-
COVID-19 Vaccination Is Life-Saving
This study confirms the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination in preventing severe outcomes between the end of 2020 and October 2021 (i.e., pre-omicron). Age, immunosuppression, and chronic disease were independent risk factors. In contrast to previous studies largely involving unvaccinated individuals, male sex and race/ethnicity were not.
-
Vaccines Saved 1 Million Lives in 2021
COVID-19 vaccines prevented an estimated 1 million deaths and 10 million hospitalizations in the United States in 2021, according to a new modeling study by the Commonwealth Fund.
-
Sick Healthcare Workers Worsen Shortage, May Spike Healthcare-Associated Infections
The COVID-19 omicron variant, known to cause breakthrough infections in those fully vaccinated and boosted, is infecting and furloughing healthcare workers even as hospitals face a towering wave of incoming patients.
-
Unvaccinated Patients Dying from ‘Less Severe’ Omicron
The emerging narrative of the omicron variant of COVID-19 being less severe — and possibly signaling a transition to an endemic phase of the pandemic — is of little solace to patients dying of the virus daily.
-
Workplace Violence on the Rise; COVID-19 Partly to Blame
Always a challenging problem, workplace violence in healthcare settings has worsened recently as the many stresses of the pandemic push staff, managers, patients, and family members to the breaking point. Risk managers should review their workplace violence policies to ensure they clearly define workplace violence to include bullying, intimidation, and harassment.