Acute kidney injury (AKI) is common in patients hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), reported in 24% to 57% of COVID-19 hospitalizations and 61% to 78% of intensive care unit admissions in patients with COVID-19. Compared with patients without COVID-19, those with COVID-19 develop more severe AKI, have greater dialysis requirements, and experience less in-hospital kidney recovery, which may increase …
Experts predicted that the 2019/20 flu season in the Northern Hemisphere would be a bad one. And then it wasn’t. The COVID-19 pandemic hit, international travel ground to a halt, physical distancing and mask wearing became more common, and the flu went away. Part of the sudden decrease might be the result of health authorities in some areas focusing all …
Following a recent concern raised around thrombotic events, AstraZeneca issued a press release to offer its reassurance on the safety of its COVID-19 vaccine based on clear scientific evidence. Safety is of paramount importance and the company is continually monitoring the safety of its vaccine. A careful review of all available safety data of more than 17 million people vaccinated …
In an article published in the APNews, a New Mexico corrections officer is suing New Mexico over the requirement that first responders and other employees be vaccinated, setting up another legal fight during a pandemic that is testing local and federal public health laws. The complaint centers on the FDA’s authorization of the vaccines for emergency use, noting that the …
Florida Did Not Ensure That Nursing Facilities Always Reported Allegations of Potential Abuse or Neglect of Medicaid Beneficiaries and Did Not Always Assess, Prioritize, or Investigate Reported Incidents 03-04-2021 | A-04-17-08058 | Complete Report | Report in Brief Why OIG Did This Audit This audit report is one of a series of OIG reports addressing the identification, reporting, and investigation of incidents of …
Alcohol is one of the most widely available psychoactive substances globally. Many accept the risks associated with alcohol consumption for reasons such as social engagement and feelings of pleasure. Alcohol consumption in a nursing home setting highlights the moral and logistical challenges of balancing the need for a safe living and working environment with the dignity of risk (DoR) and …
SARS-CoV-2, like other RNA viruses, constantly changes through mutation, with new variants occurring over time. Generally, when new variants become more common, they do so because of some selective advantage to the virus. Among the numerous SARS-CoV-2 variants that have been detected, only a very small proportion are of public health concern because they are more transmissible, cause more severe …
When a public health emergency was declared last March, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a variety of waivers allowing home health providers to more easily provide telehealth services during the crisis. Now the Office of Inspector General (OIG) has announced an audit, dubbed the “HHA Telehealth Project,” that will examine home health providers’ usage of telehealth …
On January 9, 2021, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) announced the identification of the SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern (VOC) B.1.1.7, also referred to as 20I/501Y.V1 and VOC 2020/01, in specimens from five persons; on January 25, MDH announced the identification of this variant in specimens from three additional persons. The people identified with variant B.1.1.7 in Minnesota had exposure …
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is informing health care providers and health care facilities about up-to-date information concerning multiplexing ventilator tubing connectors, also know as ventilator splitters, in situations in which no alternatives for invasive ventilatory support are available. Although the FDA has not received any adverse event reports related to the use of ventilator splitters authorized for …
