Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on September 11, approved the Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech updated COVID-19 boosters that target the Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5, the September 11 Reuters reports. The boosters, which were approved for those 12 years and older and authorized for emergency use for children ages 6…

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Editor's Note The COVID-19 hospital admission rate in the US rose some 16% to more than 17,400 for the week ending August 26, and deaths increased by nearly 18% from the prior week, the September 7 New York Times reports. This marks the seventh consecutive week of increases. The Omicron…

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Editor's Note In this study from the RAND Corporation, researchers examine how clinicians experienced their role as they cared for dying patients with COVID-19 and how these experiences impacted their lives as healthcare professionals. A total of 23 clinicians (11 physicians and 12 nurses) in critical care and emergency department…

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Editor's Note A new State of the World’s Nursing report will be produced by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2025, according to the September American Journal of Nursing. The International Council of Nurses and WHO will collaborate on the report, which will detail the impact of COVID-19 on the…

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Editor's Note This study from Trinity Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan, compares prepandemic surgical site infection (SSI) rates before reusing personal protective equipment (PPE), to pandemic SSI rates after reusing PPE in trauma surgical patients. A total of 48,987 patients were included in the analysis, with half in the postpandemic group.…

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Editor's Note Two New York (NY) Upstate Medical hospitals, University and Community General, reimposed their mask mandates on August 17 after an increase in COVID-19 cases was announced, and testing is also now required for all patients admitted to the hospitals, The Daily News reports. According to a memo sent…

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Editor's Note This study from Finland examines nurses’ assessments of their resilience, job satisfaction, quality of care, and intentions to quit during the third wave of COVID-19. A total of 437 Finnish RNs responded to an electronic survey. The findings show that: nurses had good resilience, but a significant proportion…

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Editor's Note The American Hospital Association (AHA), on August 9, announced that COVID-19 HIPAA rules for telehealth would expire at 11:59 pm. The Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) implemented a HIPAA policy for telehealth during the COVID-19 public health emergency, which provided enforcement discretion…

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Editor's Note The COVID-19 Omicron subvariant EG.5 is now the dominant variant in the US, replacing Arcturus XBB.1.16, according to the August 4 US News & World Report. EG.5 accounts for more than 17% of new COVID-19 cases in the US in the past 2 weeks, and it is increasing…

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Editor's Note In this study, nurse researchers from Turkey, examine the effects of personality traits of surgical nurses (ie, OR, ICU, ED, and surgical services) on work stress, COVID-19 fear, and psychological resilience during the pandemic.  A total of 357 nurses were included in the analysis.  Among the findings:  The…

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