Editor's Note In this study, researchers from the University of California, Irvine, found a rapid and sustained decline in COVID-19 symptomatic and asymptomatic infections in healthcare workers (HCWs) after vaccination. Of 10,188 HCWs included in the study, 58% received a first dose within 2 weeks of when vaccinations started, and…

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Editor's Note Since listing the hospitals and health systems mandating COVID-19 vaccination for its employees on June 29 ( https://www.ormanager.com/briefs/growing-number-of-hospitals-healthcare-systems-mandating-covid-19-vaccinations-for-hcws/ ), Becker’s Hospital Review has added five more, bringing the number to 26. In chronological order, the five additional organizations that have added mandates as of July 8 are: Trinity Health, Livonia,…

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Editor's Note This study led by researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, finds that US hospitals may not be adequately prepared for future pandemics. The 10-year analysis found only marginal improvements in a measurement to assess preparedness—Hospital Medical Surge Preparedness Index (HMSPI)—during the years leading up…

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Editor's Note Overall healthcare employment in the US was down in June to a seasonally adjusted 15,954,500 workers, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on July 2. That’s down 12,200 since May. Hospital employment was down 5,500 jobs. The overall unemployment rate rose to 5.9%.

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Editor's Note This randomized controlled clinical trial led by German researchers finds a concern of mask-wearing causing hypercapnia (excessive carbon dioxide in the bloodstream) in children. In this analysis of 45 children, carbon dioxide levels were measured at baseline without a face mask and during inhalation and exhalation under surgical…

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Editor's Note In this study by researchers at the Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, mass COVID-19 preprocedure testing detected positive asymptomatic patients who were missed by clinical screening alone. The median test turnaround time was 7.8 hours. Of 75, 528 preprocedure tests performed: 318 (0.4%) patients tested positive…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on June 30 announced that it is revoking the Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs) for non-NIOSH-approved disposable respirators (including N95s), effective July 6. The announcement also revokes EUAs for decontamination and bioburden reduction systems for disposable respirators, effective immediately. The FDA says the…

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Editor's Note Escape Rooms, which were conceived as a social activity, yielded themselves as a low-cost, high-impact and effective tool for healthcare education during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study from the Central Texas Veterans Healthcare System finds. The Pandemic Escape Room ran every half hour for 4 days, providing 48…

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Editor's Note This study led by researchers at the department of economics, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis, finds that state policies implemented in spring 2020 to protect hospital capacity and minimize deaths due to COVID-19 were associated with upward trends in hospitalizations and mortality after reopening. The researchers examined data collected…

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Editor's Note This study from Austria finds a high prevalence of mental disorders in high school students 1 year after the COVID-19 pandemic began. Of 3,052 adolescents who participated in the study: 55% had clinically relevant depressive symptoms 47% had clinically relevant anxiety symptoms 22.8% had clinically relevant moderate insomnia…

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