Articles Tagged With: COVID-19
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Needlestick Risks at COVID-19 Vaccination Sites
Needlesticks are threatening to move beyond the hospital in a big way. With a variety of people with various skill sets administering COVID-19 vaccines — sometimes in unusual situations — there is understandable concern about sharps injuries at immunization sites. As COVID-19 vaccine guidelines expand to more age groups and populations, occupational health experts are reminding HCWs that needlesticks could lead to transmission of bloodborne pathogens.
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OSHA Steps in to Protect Healthcare Workers from COVID-19
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued a National Emphasis Program to ensure employees in high-hazard industries like healthcare are protected from contracting SARS-CoV-2. But a somewhat controversial problem is that researchers are finding most of the COVID-19 infections in healthcare workers are acquired in the community.
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Vaccinated HCWs Can Be Trusted Voice to Communities, Colleagues
Healthcare workers (HCWs) immunized against COVID-19 can be trusted voices to instill vaccine confidence in their colleagues and communities, public health officials and clinicians emphasize. Role-modeling of immunization also might encourage HCWs who are reluctant to take a vaccine. In a recent poll of 1,327 HCWs, 27% said they do not plan to take a COVID-19 vaccine, or have not yet decided. Breaking down the results, 17% of the HCWs polled do not plan to take the vaccine, and 10% were undecided.
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HCAHPS, Other Satisfaction Scores May Suffer from COVID-19 Effects
Before the pandemic, 73% of patients surveyed said they were very satisfied with the communication with their healthcare providers. During the pandemic, that figure nosedived to 60%. The number of patients who said they were not satisfied at all tripled.
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Lung Health Program Revamped to Help Manage COVID-19 Pandemic
A Maryland hospital adapted an existing program encouraging lung health to respond to the sudden demands of COVID-19. The program helped reduce COVID-19 readmission rates by two-thirds.
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Bamlanivimab and Etesevimab Injection
Bamlanivimab and etesevimab should be prescribed to treat mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in adults and pediatric patients (age 12 years and older, weight at least 40 kg) who test positive for COVID-19 and are at high risk for progressing to severe disease and/or hospitalization.
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How to Safely Open Schools in the Time of COVID-19
Multiple COVID-19 transmission clusters were identified in a Georgia school district, with educators often the index cases. The CDC has provided recommendations for safely opening schools.
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COVID-19 Long-Haulers May Show Signs of Chronic Fatigue, Myalgic Encephalitis
Many patients with COVID-19 will go on to develop persisting symptoms that resemble those of myalgic encephalitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, regardless of symptoms experienced at viral onset.
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Study: Surgery Centers Handled COVID-19 Patients Safely
Data suggest there may be no increased risk for an asymptomatic, COVID-19-positive patient to go forward with surgery, although more research is needed before surgeons can create evidence-based guidelines.
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The Struggle to Immunize Long-Term Care Staff
Almost two-thirds of healthcare workers in thousands of skilled nursing facilities have turned down the COVID-19 vaccine, even though the mortality rates of long-term care residents are among the highest of any population. Historically, long-term care workers have shunned influenza vaccinations, citing skepticism about the vaccine’s efficacy or that they do not get the flu. The COVID-19 vaccine raises its own set of suspicions.