New President – New Plan

Angie SzumlinskiAnnouncements, News

President Joseph R. Biden has unveiled a plan to jump-start the nation’s faltering COVID-19 vaccine effort that will include establishing mass vaccination sites and mobile vaccine clinics around the nation. The plan calls for a $20 billion investment in a national vaccination program. According to the CDC, 31 million COVID-19 doses have been distributed and 12.2 million have been administered …

Make Every Bite Count

Angie SzumlinskiAnnouncements, Health

As we continue our pandemic journey, it is important to remember our overall health and that of our healthcare heroes. We are working long hours and at the end of the day are too tired to prepare a healthy meal or even pack a lunch for the next day! It is much easier to rely on prepared foods, fast foods, …

Navigating the Infodemic

Angie SzumlinskiAnnouncements, News

World Health Organization (WHO) We are all being exposed to a huge amount of COVID-19 information on a daily basis and not all of it is reliable. Due to COVID-19, most of us have a new word in our vocabulary: epidemiology. It is the branch of medical science that deals with the way diseases are transmitted and can be controlled …

WHO – SARS-CoV-2 Variant – South Africa

Angie SzumlinskiAnnouncements, News

On December 18, 2020, national authorities in South Africa announced the detection of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 that is rapidly spreading in three provinces of South Africa. South Africa has named this variant 501Y.V2, because of an N501Y mutation. While SARS-CoV-2 VOC 202012/01 from the UK also has the N501Y mutation, phylogenetic analysis has shown that 501Y.V2 from south …

COVID-19 Infection – Neurological Risk

Angie SzumlinskiAnnouncements, Health, Studies

People who have had COVID-19 may have an increased risk of being diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder such as anxiety or depression. Researchers looked at the medical records of 69 million people in the United States between January 20 and August 1, 2020. The data included 62,000 people who contracted COVID-19 as part of what the authors described as the …

COVID-19 Score Calculation

Angie SzumlinskiAnnouncements, Featured

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has rapidly affected mortality worldwide. There is unprecedented urgency to understand who is most at risk of severe outcomes. A new online tool helps to estimate an individual’s risk of dying from COVID-19 depending on where they live in the United States, which could provide useful information on which individuals should be prioritized for early vaccinations. …

Evaluating SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines

Angie SzumlinskiAnnouncements, News

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted emergency use authorizations (EUAs) for 2 vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), one developed jointly by Pfizer and BioNTech and the other by Moderna. According to company press releases and data made available by the FDA, both vaccines have shown approximately 95% efficacy in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 infections …

COVID-19 Vaccine Reactions – CDC MMWR

Angie SzumlinskiAnnouncements, Health, News

The CDC has issued updated interim clinical considerations for use of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines currently authorized in the United States and interim considerations for preparing for the potential management of anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis is a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction that occurs rarely after vaccination. In addition to screening for contraindications and precautions before administering COVID-19 vaccines, vaccine locations should have the …

CDC Updates – Contraindications – COVID-19 Vaccine

Angie SzumlinskiAnnouncements, Health

The CDC previously released guidelines for contraindications to vaccinations; however, it has now broadened these guidelines to include those with a history of an immediate allergic reaction to previous doses of or any component of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, including polyethylene glycol. According to the updated interim guidance, anyone with a history of immediate allergic reaction of any severity to any …

Strategies to Improve Patient Safety

Angie SzumlinskiAnnouncements, News

The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (Patient Safety Act) requires the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the director of AHRQ, to prepare a draft report on effective strategies for reducing medical errors and increasing patient safety. The report includes measures determined appropriate by the Secretary to encourage the appropriate use …