Articles Tagged With: COVID-19
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Reinfection: COVID-19 Vaccine Twice as Effective as Antibodies
COVID-19 vaccination is more than twice as protective as circulating antibodies in people who had a prior infection with SARS-CoV-2, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports.
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Game Changer: COVID-19 Delta Variant Breaks Through in Provincetown
The Provincetown, MA, COVID-19 outbreak in July made headlines because hundreds of fully vaccinated people had breakthrough infections. The critical question is whether the Provincetown outbreak is more of an outlier, or is it a harbinger of the kind of outbreaks and vaccine breakthroughs we may see more often with the highly transmissible delta variant?
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OSHA Extends Comment Period, but Does Not Delay Emergency Temporary Standard
After receiving numerous comments requesting the action, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration extended the comment period for its COVID-19 healthcare emergency temporary standard to Aug. 20. -
COVID-19 No Worse Than Flu? Tell It to the 600,000 Dead
Many might recall that early in the outbreak, pandemic denialists — who continue to this day — frequently said COVID-19 was no worse than seasonal influenza. More than 600,000 Americans would beg to differ, if they could speak. As part of an argument for healthcare workers to take the vaccine, a physician noted in a recently published paper the mortality rate for influenza is estimated to be 1 in 1,000, whereas for SARS-CoV-2 is closer to 1 in 100 to 250. -
Delta Variant a Game-Changer for COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates
With the delta variant now causing 80% of COVID-19 cases in the United States, vaccine mandates for healthcare workers have become a foregone conclusion. At a recent press conference, the CDC recommended the vaccinated return to wearing masks indoors because of the variant. -
Clinicians at Johns Hopkins Create Artful Collaboration
Among many other things, music is a way to process pain. In a similar vein, poetry has been seen as healing and therapeutic for ages. Music and poetry together can speak to the human spirit, even when it is beaten down by a relentless pandemic. At Johns Hopkins Hospital, two colleagues created a collaboration that forged the two arts into a message of resilience and hope. -
The Joint Commission’s New Violence Prevention Requirements
The Joint Commission has issued new hospital violence prevention requirements that call for an annual workplace risk assessment, formation of a safety committee, an incident reporting system, and staff education. The requirements will take effect in January 2022. -
Watch Closely for Surge in Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome Cases
The list of long-term health problems affecting patients after recovering from COVID-19 continues growing. One of these lesser-known conditions is postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). Although treatments for POTS exist, the condition often is missed or misdiagnosed, leading to unnecessary suffering and anxiety for patients. However, given the condition’s recent visibility, frontline providers could gain a new understanding of POTS while also providing patients with a fast, accurate explanation for their symptoms. -
Healthcare Workers, Hospital Systems Clash Over Vaccine Mandates
While it may be hard to understand why a person at higher risk for contracting the virus might take issue with this requirement, the idea of mandating the vaccine as a condition of employment is simply too strong a push for some. However, a coalition of healthcare organizations is calling on all medical facilities to mandate the vaccines. -
EDs Boost COVID-19 Vaccination Efforts
Some emergency providers may view COVID-19 vaccinations as another task piled on an already-full plate. However, EDs are uniquely positioned to reach many underserved and high-risk populations that have yet to receive protection from COVID-19.