The spreading of misinformation about COVID-19, which has included false or misleading information from some physicians, has been a troubling aspect of the coronavirus pandemic. The misinformation has included erroneous recommendations related to treatments and vaccination.

According to the memo, CMS “will not enforce the new rule regarding vaccination of health care workers or requirements for policies and procedures in certified Medicare/Medicaid providers and suppliers (including nursing facilities, hospitals, dialysis facilities and all other provider types covered by the rule) while there are court-ordered injunctions in place prohibiting enforcement of this provision.”

The ETS, according to OSHA, is designed to “protect workers from the spread of coronavirus on the job.” Employers with 100 or more employees “must develop, implement and enforce a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy, unless they adopt a policy requiring employees to either get vaccinated or undergo regular COVID-19 testing and wear a face covering at work.”

The research article, which was published by JAMA Network Open, is based on survey data collected from more than 1,300 healthcare professionals in 2020 before vaccinations for COVID-19 were available. The surveys were conducted in two phases from April 24 to May 30, 2020, and Oct. 24 to Nov. 30, 2020.

Attorneys for the U.S. Department of Labor November 23 asked a federal appeals court to lift judicial restrictions on an Occupational Safety and Health Administration emergency temporary standard requiring employers with 100 or more employees to implement a program of COVID-19 vaccination or regular testing and face coverings to protect unvaccinated workers.

One of the more mysterious characteristics of COVID-19 is that a significant number of patients who are long haulers experience symptoms for weeks or months after recovering from the acute phase of the illness. Coronavirus long haulers have a range of physical symptoms, including cough, shortness of breath, constitutional symptoms such as numbness and tingling, cardiac issues, hair loss, and deconditioning.

OSHA has suspended enforcement of its COVID-19 vaccination and testing emergency temporary standard (ETS) while the requirement is challenged in court, according to a statement on the agency’s ETS information website.

Pediatric APRNs and agencies are experiencing significant disruption in care provision, patient presentations, clinical practices, immunizations, and revenue streams, the study says. Furthermore, some pediatric APRNs have transitioned to work with adult populations “in an unprecedented fashion,” while others have been temporarily furloughed or permanently laid off due to a stronger demand for critical care nurses and a lower demand for primary care nurses.

After issuing an initial stay on November 6, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit in New Orleans on November 12 reaffirmed its stay, instructing OSHA and the Department of Labor to take no steps to implement or enforce the emergency temporary standard (ETS) while the appeals court considers the petitioners’ request for a permanent injunction.

The CMS interim final rule (IFR) applies to individuals working in Medicare- and Medicaid-participating facilities, as well as individuals working in other settings involving face-to-face interactions with patients. The IFR requires all clinical and non-clinical personnel to have received at least the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by December 5, 2021, and complete the vaccine course by January 4, 2022.