Editor's Note Since emergency use authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines in December, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) has received reports of allergic reactions including anaphylaxis. From December 14, 2020, through January 18, 2021, 9,943,247 doses of the Pfizer vaccine and…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on February 12 updated its guidelines for K-12 school reopenings. The update provides an operational strategy for safe delivery of in-person instruction through the integration of mitigation and control components as well as public health efforts. Included are the following:…

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Editor's Note This study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the prevalence of current depression, increased or newly initiated substance use, and suicidal thoughts/ideation has been higher for some racial and ethnic minority groups, especially Hispanics. A survey of 1,004 US…

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Editor's Note The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a substantial decline in cardiac surgery volume and an unexplained increase in deaths after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), finds this study presented January 30 at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS). Researchers from the University of California,…

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Editor's Note Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said on February 3 that new COVID-19 cases in the US had fallen to pre-Thanksgiving levels, and the infection rates were continuing to decline, the February 3 The Hill reports. COVID-19 cases and hospital admissions appear…

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Editor's Note This study by researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds that the COVID-19 pandemic mitigation measures and social and economic impacts affected the rate of emergency department (ED) visits for patients with mental health, substance abuse, and violence issues.  Total ED visits decreased after…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on January 29, issued a federal Public Health Order requiring all individuals to wear masks on nearly all forms of public transportation, and made refusal to wear a mask a violation of federal law. The Order mandates the use of…

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Editor's Note From December 14 to 23, 2020, after administration of 1,893,360 first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified 21 case reports of anaphylaxis. Of those, 4 (19%) were hospitalized (including 3 in intensive care), and 17 (81%) were treated in…

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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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Information about COVID-19 transmission and treatment has evolved between the time this infectious disease first emerged and now. As evidence-based knowledge grows and protocols change, and as populations are vaccinated to develop herd immunity, there is increasing optimism about the ability to combat the virus. Meanwhile, it is important to…

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