Editor's Note A new negative-pressure ventilatory support device, similar to the “iron lung” used to treat polio patients in the 1950s, provides an additional treatment option for COVID-19 patients, finds this study by researchers in the UK’s Exovent Task Force, formed in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.…

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Editor's Note The Association for Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI), on January 20, released four amendments to the “ANSI/AAMI ST79 Comprehensive guide to steam sterilization and sterility assurance in healthcare facilities.” Among the additions: recommendations and clarifications for maintaining the integrity of the sterile processing area, including common sense additions,…

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Editor's Note A study, led by researchers from Rockefeller University in New York City, finds that volunteers vaccinated with either the Moderna or the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine will be protected against new variants of the COVID-19 virus. The researchers tested plasma taken from 20 volunteers who had received both doses of…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on January 20, announced that data collection for a new standardized performance measure assessing a patient’s functional and health status postoperatively will be required for the Advanced Certification for Total Hip and Total Knee Replacement (THKR) program. Organizations will be required to assess a patient’s…

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Editor's Note This study led by researchers from the Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, finds that COVID-19 vaccine-related messaging should address concerns about the vaccine and its development and reinforce its benefits to increase the willingness of US adults to get the COVID-19 vaccine and to get the vaccine under an…

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Editor's Note In a Vida Health survey, nearly half of some 2,000 US adults say they have thought about seeking mental health treatment because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the January 19 Human Resource Executive. The vast majority (88%) of those surveyed report mental health symptoms, such as: difficulty…

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Editor's Note Results from Johnson & Johnson’s early-stage trials for its COVID-19 vaccine showed neutralizing antibodies in all participants who received the vaccine when they were tested at 57 days. The J&J Ad26.COV2.S vaccine is different than the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines in that it is anenovirus-based rather than mRNA-based.…

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Editor's Note Owners of hospitals in Chicago and Los Angeles plan to close their facilities in the first half of 2021, the January 14 Becker’s Hospital Review reports. Olympia Medical Center in Los Angeles informed its workers on December 31, 2020, that the hospital would be suspending all patient care…

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Editor's Note This study led by researchers from Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, finds that in the first 9 weeks of in-person classes in North Carolina schools, there was extremely limited within-school secondary transmissions of COVID-19. The researchers examined 11 school districts with more than 90,000 students…

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Editor's Note Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert R. Redfield, MD, on January 12, signed an order to expand the requirement for a negative COVID-19 test to all airline passengers entering the US. The order, which will become effective January 26, requires that: Airline passengers get a…

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