Editor's Note In this study, researchers from Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, find that face-mask compliance remained suboptimal among healthcare workers (HCWs) despite a facility-wide mandate for universal masking during the COVID-19 pandemic. Of 1,561 observations during a 4-week baseline period after universal masking was mandated, median weekly…

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Editor's Note In a May 18 position statement, ECRI recommends that it’s time to move to a regularly scheduled COVID-19 vaccine booster model. “Moving to a regular vaccine schedule will increase clarity and confidence about what actions to take and when, compared to the current piecemeal, wait-and-see approach,” says Marcus…

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Editor's Note Though new COVID-19 cases linked to the Omicron BA.2 subvariant are dropping, Omicron’s more infectious subvariant BA2.12.1 is beginning to gain a foothold in the US, the May 10 Becker’s Hospital Review reports. Omicron BA2.12.1 now accounts for nearly 43% of new cases as of May 7, compared…

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Editor's Note This study, led by researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), finds that symptomatic individuals with an initial negative home antigen test should test again 1 to 2 days later because test sensitivity peaks several days after COVID-19 onset. In 225 adults and children with…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) COVID-19 data tracker weekly review published April 8 shows that cases are rising again nationwide, for the first time since January, the April 8 Becker’s Hospital Review reports. The 7-day case average as of April 6 was 26,596, which is…

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Editor's Note The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) announced on March 28 that it had honored a request by Pacific PPE Corp to rescind all of its N95 respirator mask approvals, effective immediately. Respirators with NIOSH approval numbers TC-84A-9278, TC-84A-9299, and TC-84A-9313 will no longer be manufactured,…

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Editor's Note According to a March 4 notice filed by NYC Test & Trace Corps, New York City's (NYC’s) initiative for COVID-19 testing and contact tracing, the city is ending universal contact tracing by the end of April, Becker’s Hospital Review March 10 reported. This means that NYC Health +…

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Editor's Note The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) on March 8 announced the publication of a new report outlining actions needed to successfully battle future pandemics while fighting the rise in healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Some recommendations in the 66-page report, titled “Between a Rock and Hard…

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Editor's Note The biggest obstacle to achieving 100% vaccination rate in the US is no longer whether vaccines will be manufactured fast enough, or if there will be enough for the country’s population, Lisa Doggett, senior medical director at HGS AxisPoint Health, told Health Leaders March 8. “Rather, it's concerns…

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Editor's Note This study from the University of Chicago finds an association between social determinants of health measures and COVID-19 mortality rates that varied across racial and ethnic groups and community types. Among 3,142 counties in the study, 531 were identified as concentrated longitudinal-impact counties. Of these, 347 (11%) had…

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