Surge capacity refers to the ability to manage a sudden increase in patient volume that would severely challenge or exceed the present capacity of a facility. While there are no widely accepted measurements or triggers to distinguish surge capacity from daily patient care capacity, surge capacity is a useful framework to approach a decreased supply of gloves during the COVID-19 …
On October 19, 2020, the CDC updated guidelines on COVID-19 and said that public transportation operators “should refuse boarding” to passengers who don’t wear a face mask to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The CDC reemphasized current guidelines for wearing masks on planes, ships, ferries, trains, subways, buses, taxis and ride-shares and said masks should be worn in airports, …
Ventilation and filtration provided by heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems can reduce the airborne concentration of the virus that causes COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2), which can reduce the risk of transmission through the air. Here are some suggestions from the CDC: Check to be sure your HVAC filter is correctly in place and consider upgrading the filter to the highest-rated filter …
For one week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stopped issuing new health information related to the novel coronavirus after altering the procedure by which that information was being shared with the American people, sources with direct knowledge of the change told ABC news. The type of information that has been withheld has previously been vital to hospitals, health …
Residents of long-term care facilities (LTCFs) are at risk for severe COVID-19. Facility-wide testing, even in the absence of a reported COVID-19 case, can identify asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic infection in LTCFs. Per the CDC, facilities where testing was conducted after a confirmed case of COVID-19 were found to have significantly higher proportions of infected residents and staff members at initial …
Temporary disruptions in routine and non-emergency medical care access and delivery have been observed during periods of considerable community transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, per the CDC, medical care delay or avoidance might increase morbidity and mortality risk associated with treatable and preventable health conditions and might contribute to reported excess deaths directly …
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Department of Defense (DoD) today released two documents outlining the Trump Administration’s detailed strategy to deliver safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine doses to the American people as quickly and reliably as possible. The documents, developed by HHS in coordination with the DoD and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention …
The CDC will be hosting a call to discuss “Testing and Treatment of 2020-2021 Seasonal Influenza During the COVID-19 Pandemic” on Thursday September 17, 2020 from 2:00-3:00 pm ET. Per the World Health Organization’s FluNet platform from three Southern Hemisphere countries (Australia, Chile, and South Africa), low influenza activity was reported during June through August 2020, months that comprise the …
The CDC recently compiled data from seven state or local health departments that conducted facility-wide testing in nursing homes. A total of 288 nursing homes conducted initial facility-wide testing during March 24-June 14 with turnaround times ranged from 1-7 days from testing until receipt of results. The study results were posted on August 14, 2020 and the discussion below summarizes …
The CDC recently released information that seniors receiving the shingles vaccine decrease their risk of stroke by up to 20%! That’s pretty impressive when you figure most strokes occur in seniors versus younger adults and that a simple vaccine may make a difference! What their study showed was: Receiving the shingles vaccine lowered the risk of stroke by about 16% …
