Editor's Note The New York Times (NYT) reported on May 11 that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) new guidelines for mask wearing are misleading because they treat outdoor transmission of COVID-19 as a major risk. The CDC reports that less than 10% of COVID-19 transmissions are occurring…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on May 12, listed the top 5 standards most frequently identified as “not compliant” during surveys and reviews from January 1 to December 31, 2020. The top five for accredited hospitals are: NPSG.15.01.01: Reduce the risk for suicide. EP1. IC.02.02.01: The hospital reduces the risk…

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Editor's Note This study from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, finds that COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are immunogenic in pregnant and lactating women, and they induce immune responses against variants. For the study, researchers enrolled 30 pregnant, 16 lactating, and 57 neither pregnant nor lactating women…

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Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration announced on April 20 that Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) was recalling certain lots of its ChloraPrep Hi-Lite Orange 26 mL Applicator. ChloraPrep is used as an antiseptic to prepare a patient’s skin before surgery. The recall was initiated because the Applicator, which…

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Editor's Note This randomized, controlled trial by Danish researchers finds that wearing surgical masks to supplement other public health measures did not significantly reduce the COVID-19 infection rate, compared with no mask. Of 6,024 trial participants, 3,030 were randomly assigned to wear high-quality surgical face masks with a filtration rate…

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Editor's Note The US averaged 48,000 new COVID-19 cases per day in the past week. This is a 15% improvement from last week, and the first time since October 2020 that average daily cases have fallen below 50,000. Nationally, deaths from COVID-19 fell 3% to 4,819, the fewest deaths in…

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Editor's Note In this study, led by researchers at Florida State University, Tallahassee, reusable cover gowns were found to provide increased protection, compared to disposable cover gowns. During personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that washable cloth…

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Editor's Note Hospira Inc, a Pfizer company, announced May 4 that it is recalling lot EG6023 of 0.5% Bupivacaine Hydrochloride Injection, USP 30 mL and lot EG8933 of 1% Lidocaine HCL Injection, USP 30 mL because of mislabeling. A portion of each lot was incorrectly labeled as the other product.…

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Editor's Note This study led by researchers at the University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, finds a sharp decline in breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer screening rates in 2020. This analysis of data on 60 million people in Medicare Advantage and commercial health plans across the US shows that…

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Editor's Note The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), on May 4, revoked its public health emergency approval for Plastikon Industries’ (Hayward, California) PLASMA N95-01 masks. The revocation was issued because a product audit by NIOSH failed to meet filter efficiency requirements. The mask is no longer approved…

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