CDC’s ‘Huge Mistake’: Did Misguided Mask Advice Drive Up COVID Death Toll for Health Workers?
Those performing such “aerosol-generating” procedures, often in an intensive care unit, got the best protective gear even if there wasn’t enough to go around, per Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. And for anyone else working with COVID patients, until a month ago, a surgical mask was considered sufficient. A new wave of research now shows that several of those procedures were not the most hazardous. Recent studies have determined that a basic cough produces about 20 times more particles than intubation, a procedure one doctor likened to the risk of being next to a nuclear reactor.
Long COVID Alliance Launched to Help Coronavirus ‘Long Haulers’
In a recent study of COVID-19 patients hospitalized with severe acute respiratory infection, functional impairment was found in 53.8% of patients four months after hospital discharge. Long COVID symptoms include cough, shortness of breath, anxiety and depression, cardiac issues, fatigue, deconditioning, and hair loss.
TJC to Begin Unannounced Survey Visits Again
In a statement in its Joint Commission Online weekly publication, TJC noted that COVID-19 caseloads have been decreasing. “The Joint Commission will return to its usual procedures prior to the pandemic. Organizations will no longer be receiving a phone call or email from their account executive when it has been determined the area is low risk for The Joint Commission’s accreditation survey team to visit. All available resources will be utilized to conduct onsite, unannounced accreditation surveys.”
NCSA on Cybersecurity: ‘Update, Update, Update’
NCSA executive director Kelvin Coleman recently spoke with HealthLeaders about the continuing threat posed by criminals who see healthcare continuing to be one of the biggest, most lucrative targets for their ever-increasing cyber-intrusion capabilities.
What You Need to Know About TJC’s 2021 Survey Activity Guide
Be sure to check the “What’s New for 2021” section. Many of the updates, such as the elimination of the Environment of Care session, are not unexpected. Other items did not change, such as the documents that will be requested on the first day of survey.
CDC: Screen for International Travel as Ebola Cases Increase
As of March 4, the CDC is also requiring all airlines and other aircraft operators to collect and transmit contact information to the CDC “for appropriate public health follow-up and intervention for all passengers boarding a flight to the United States who were in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) or the Republic of Guinea within the 21 days before their arrival in the United States.”
Accidentally Trashed, Thawed, or Expired: Reports of COVID Vaccine Spoilage
The incidents range from 335 discarded doses in Lee County, North Carolina, that were damaged in shipping, to nearly 5,000 doses that went to waste in Tennessee in February, prompting additional federal oversight.
Coronavirus: How RWJBarnabas Health is Administering Monoclonal Antibodies
On November 9, bamlanivimab became the first monoclonal antibody to receive an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. The EUA for bamlanivimab marked a milestone in the coronavirus pandemic because the monoclonal antibody became the first medication that could be administered to COVID-19 patients on an outpatient basis.
Artificial Intelligence: 5 Considerations for Health Systems
According to a recent report by Optum, 83% of healthcare organizations reported having an AI strategy in place during 2020, and another 15% are planning on creating one, with many accelerating their AI deployment timelines in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Coronavirus: 35% of Survey Respondents Say They Are Unlikely to Get Vaccinated
Vaccination is widely viewed as an end-game stage in the coronavirus pandemic. One of the primary goals of vaccination is to achieve herd immunity—a point at which enough of the country’s population will have immunity to the coronavirus that community spread is unlikely.