“All viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, change over time. Most changes have little to no impact on the virus’ properties. However, some changes may affect the virus’ properties, such as how easily it spreads, the associated disease severity, or the performance of vaccines, therapeutic medicines, diagnostic tools, or other public health and social measures. WHO, in collaboration …
The Mayer-Rothschild Foundation Designation of Excellence in Person-Centered Long-Term Care Award, the first of its kind, seeks to develop a new national standard of excellence in the design, development, and implementation of residential care for older adults. In the first phase of this important project, The University of Maine Center on Aging and The Cedars are working together with an …
In a study published in JAMA Network Open, the question raised was “what were the hospital discharge rates, demographic factors, and outcomes of hospitalization associated with COVID-19 pandemic among U.S. patients with ischemic stroke (IS) in 2020?” After the emergence of COVID-19, studies reported a decrease in hospital encounters among patients with ischemic stroke (IS). This decrease was contrary to …
The below information is sourced from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s “SARS-CoV-2 Viral Mutations: Impact on COVID-19 Tests:” Genetic Variations: Background and Considerations The SARS-CoV-2 virus has mutated over time, resulting in genetic variation in the population of circulating viral strains over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Molecular, antigen, and serology tests are affected by viral mutations differently …
During 2020, mitigation of SARS-CoV-2 largely depended on non-pharmaceutical interventions such as physical distancing, hand hygiene, universal masking, isolation, and quarantine. Contact tracing and quarantine of exposed contacts are intended to limit the number of infected contacts and lessen the risk of transmission. Contact tracing is a resource-intensive, multi-step process with many potential steps at which persons with COVID-19 or …
In 2016 Medicare launched a much-anticipated advance care planning (ACP) benefit that pays physicians to counsel patients about living wills, advance directives, and end-of-life care options. During the ACP process clinicians can help patients determine the type of care they would want in a medical crisis or at the end of life and reassure them that their preferences will be …
This is not a new tool and was developed for hospitals however the tools may be helpful if you are currently working on developing or improving your pressure reduction, skin integrity program. Pressure ulcer prevention requires an interdisciplinary approach to care. Some parts of pressure ulcer prevention care are highly routinized, but care must also be tailored to the specific …
While many people who get COVID-19 recover within a few weeks, some will suffer from long-haul symptoms for many months. This syndrome has impacted millions more Americans long after their initial diagnosis. Angie Szumlinski, Director of Risk Management at HealthCap talks with Nicole Tweedie, a “long-hauler” about what it’s been like living with post-COVID symptoms. Joining them Jana Hirschtick, a …
Effective vaccines against COVID-19 are urgently needed to control the global pandemic. More than 280 candidate vaccines are in development worldwide, 23 of which are already in phase 3 trials using different platforms. In this phase 3 randomized trial in adults, 2 whole-virus inactivated vaccines showed efficacy of 72.8% and 78.1% against symptomatic COVID-19 cases. The 2 vaccines had rare …
What is already known about this topic? Health care personnel (HCP) are at high risk for COVID-19. The early distribution of two mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna) to HCP provided an opportunity to examine vaccine effectiveness in a real-world setting. What is added by this report? The first U.S. multisite test-negative design vaccine effectiveness study among HCP found a …
