Infection Control
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CDC: Healthcare Workers First in Line for COVID-19 Vaccine
Healthcare workers have been designated as the highest priority group to receive the first safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine cleared for use in the United States, according to recent discussions and materials reviewed in a non-voting meeting of top immunization advisors to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Investigators Find Substance Use Disorders Make Patients More Vulnerable to COVID-19
Such disorders can compromise lungs and cardiovascular system, which may explain the susceptibility.
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‘Hygiene Theater’
In a study of surfaces contaminated by an actual patient, no viable virus could be found. Similar studies of common community coronavirus found the virus survived less than one to three hours after drying on various surfaces, including surgical gloves and aluminum. People’s fears have been exaggerated by bad science and worse public policy.
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Pandemic Coronavirus May Kill the Handshake
The COVID-19 pandemic may be the death knell of the handshake, although its deep anthropological roots may resurface after the viral storm is over. A study using nonpathogenic bacteriophage MS2 as a viral surrogate found that handshakes and, to a lesser extent, fist bumps can be sources of transmission.
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Fear of Threats, Violence During Pandemic Response
Violence has been an ongoing threat to healthcare workers, but it is manifesting again as social tensions rise amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This became evident during the politicization of wearing face masks and threats against public health officials trying to enforce their use or mandate other pandemic control methods.
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Caring for Our Caregivers Initiative Helps Healthcare Workers Meditate
A nonprofit psychology group has launched the Caring for Our Caregivers initiative, distributing computer tablets with meditation and wellness exercises to help healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has exacerbated the longstanding issues of staff burnout in healthcare, adding elements of fear that may lead to post-traumatic stress disorder.
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Healthcare Workers Holding the Line Against Pandemic
The nation’s healthcare workers are grimly holding the line against the worst pandemic in a century. Those who survive may pay a mental health price, a “moral injury” not unlike soldiers returning from war, mental health experts warn. The Institute for Healthcare Improvement is addressing these current and looming issues through a series of webinars and papers on “psychological PPE."
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Uproar as CDC Scales Back COVID-19 Testing
In a move widely seen as further evidence the pandemic response has been politically undermined, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently revised SARS-CoV-2 testing guidelines, de-emphasizing the need to test asymptomatic people who have been in contact with a case of COVID-19.
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Lack of Health Literacy Tied to Higher Risk for Postoperative Infections
Patients who struggle to read, absorb, and follow healthcare instructions may be more likely to contract an infection after surgery, according to the results of new research.
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Guidance from AORN, Others Updates COVID-19 Recommendations
Hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers have learned they can keep performing surgeries, but those facilities have to be thoughtful about it.