Here is what the editors at Physician’s Briefing chose as the most important COVID-19 developments for you and your practice for the week of Jan. 4 to 8, 2021. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal studies and other trusted sources that is most likely to affect clinical practice.
Biden Says He Will Release All Vaccine Doses After Taking Office
FRIDAY, Jan. 8, 2021 (HealthDay News) — President-elect Joe Biden plans to release nearly all available doses of COVID-19 vaccine when he takes office, reversing the Trump administration strategy of holding back half the supply to ensure second doses are available.
Vaccine Rollout Slows as Many Health Care Workers Balk at Shots
FRIDAY, Jan. 8, 2021 (HealthDay News) — The COVID-19 vaccine rollout is meeting resistance as many health care workers are refusing shots, the Associated Press reported Friday.
Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Protection May Last Years, Company Claims
FRIDAY, Jan. 8, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said the company’s COVID-19 vaccine may prevent infection for years, CBS News reported Thursday.
Perception of Not Returning to Full Health Common After COVID-19
FRIDAY, Jan. 8, 2021 (HealthDay News) — More than 60 percent of patients with COVID-19 feel that they have not returned to full health at a median 75 days after diagnosis, according to a study published online Jan. 8 in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
Early High-Titer Plasma Reduces Progression of COVID-19
FRIDAY, Jan. 8, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Progression of mild COVID-19 can be reduced by early administration of high-titer convalescent plasma against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, according to a study published online Jan. 6 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Trauma Centers Made New Processes for Optimal Care During COVID-19 Pandemic
FRIDAY, Jan. 8, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Level I trauma centers have created a process to provide optimal care for trauma patients in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study published in the January/February issue of the Journal for Healthcare Quality.
Drive-Through IOP Screening Clinic Feasible During COVID-19
FRIDAY, Jan. 8, 2021 (HealthDay News) — A drive-through intraocular pressure screening clinic allows for continued management during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a research letter published online Jan. 7 in JAMA Ophthalmology.
11.1 Anaphylaxis Cases/Million Doses of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine Reported
THURSDAY, Jan. 7, 2021 (HealthDay News) — As of Dec. 23, 2020, researchers determined there were 21 cases of anaphylaxis (11.1 per million doses administered) after receipt of the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in the United States, according to research published in the Jan. 6 early-release issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Mental Well-Being Worse for Men From Ethnic Minorities During Pandemic
THURSDAY, Jan. 7, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Men from ethnic minorities and women are experiencing higher increases in mental distress during COVID-19, according to a study published online Jan. 6 in PLOS ONE.
NFL Urges Teams to Offer Stadiums as Vaccination Centers
THURSDAY, Jan. 7, 2021 (HealthDay News) — The National Football League is asking teams to use their stadiums as places people can go to get vaccinated for COVID-19, CBS News reported Wednesday.
Majority of SARS-CoV-2 Transmission Due to Asymptomatic Individuals
THURSDAY, Jan. 7, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 from asymptomatic individuals accounts for about half of all transmissions, according to a study published online Jan. 7 in JAMA Network Open.
Red Cross Issues Call for More Blood Plasma to Treat COVID-19 Patients
THURSDAY, Jan. 7, 2021 (HealthDay News) — The American Red Cross is urging COVID-19 survivors to donate blood plasma for hospital patients who need it to recover.
Allergists Affirm Safety of COVID-19 Vaccines for Most
THURSDAY, Jan. 7, 2021 (HealthDay News) — In a special article published online Dec. 30 in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice, reassurance is provided regarding potential allergic reactions to mRNA COVID-19 vaccinations.
AAP Outlines Principles Guiding School COVID-19 Policies
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 6, 2021 (HealthDay News) — In an updated guidance document from the American Academy of Pediatrics, key principles outlining school safety during the COVID-19 pandemic are presented.
Vast Majority of Mild COVID-19 Patients Lose Sense of Smell
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 6, 2021 (HealthDay News) — The majority of patients with mild COVID-19 versus patients with moderate-to-critical forms report loss of smell, with 75 to 85 percent of all patients recovering olfaction at two months after infection, according to a study published online Jan. 6 in the Journal of Internal Medicine.
Psychological Distress Increased in U.S. During COVID-19
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 6, 2021 (HealthDay News) — The prevalence of serious psychological distress was as high during May 2020 as the past-year prevalence reported in February 2019, according to a study published online Dec. 31 in Preventive Medicine.
China Delays Allowing Experts to Study Start of Pandemic
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 6, 2021 (HealthDay News) — The head of the World Health Organization said Tuesday that he is “disappointed” that Chinese officials have not given permission for experts to come to China to track the origins of COVID-19.
Number of U.S. Adults Willing to Take COVID-19 Vaccine Down
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 6, 2021 (HealthDay News) — From April to December, there was a significant decline in the number of Americans who say they are willing to get a COVID-19 vaccine, according to a research letter published online Dec. 29 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Two-Thirds of Lupus Patients Likely to Take COVID-19 Vaccine
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 6, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Two-thirds of people with lupus are willing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the results of a survey released by the Lupus Research Alliance.
Pandemic-Related MMR Vaccine Decline Persists
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 6, 2021 (HealthDay News) — There has been a 10 percent decline in young children receiving their first measles/mumps/rubella vaccination by age 16 months, according to a research brief published in the January issue of Pediatrics.
Some Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Occurs After Seven, 10 Days
TUESDAY, Jan. 5, 2021 (HealthDay News) — There is some onward transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 from household contacts released from quarantine after seven or 10 days, according to research published in the Jan. 1 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Los Angeles EMS Told to Not Transport Patients Deemed Likely to Die
TUESDAY, Jan. 5, 2021 (HealthDay News) — The Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services Agency has told its workers not to take patients who are likely to die to hospitals, including those in cardiac arrest who the crew believe cannot be revived, CBS News reported Tuesday.
~14.3 Percent of U.S. Population Infected With SARS-CoV-2 by Nov. 15
TUESDAY, Jan. 5, 2021 (HealthDay News) — An estimated 14.3 percent of the U.S. population were infected by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection by mid-November 2020, according to a study published online Jan. 5 in JAMA Network Open.
Top FDA Officials Say Two Full Doses of COVID-19 Vaccines a Must
TUESDAY, Jan. 5, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Two top officials at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Monday that any American who gets the Moderna or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines must get two full doses, despite international debate on possible ways to stretch vaccine supply.
Euglycemic DKA ID’d in T2DM Patients With COVID-19
TUESDAY, Jan. 5, 2021 (HealthDay News) — In a case report recently published in The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists Clinical Case Reports, five cases of euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis are described in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus using sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors who developed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection.
Child Physical Abuse Encounters Declined During COVID-19
TUESDAY, Jan. 5, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Declines in child physical abuse encounters at U.S. hospitals were seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study published online Dec. 30 in Pediatrics.
Mental Health Consequences of COVID-19 ID’d Across Populations
TUESDAY, Jan. 5, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Short-term mental health consequences of COVID-19 are equally high across affected countries and across gender, according to a review published in the January issue of Psychiatry Research.
Pandemic Has Disrupted Lung Cancer Screenings
TUESDAY, Jan. 5, 2021 (HealthDay News) — COVID-19 has caused significant disruption in lung cancer screening, according to a study published online Dec. 17 in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.
Factors ID’d for Mortality in Nursing Home Residents With COVID-19
MONDAY, Jan. 4, 2021 (HealthDay News) — For nursing home residents with COVID-19, the odds of 30-day mortality are increased with older age, male sex, and impaired cognitive and physical function, according to a study published online Jan. 4 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
U.S. COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout Struggling
MONDAY, Jan. 4, 2021 (HealthDay News) — As U.S. officials ramped up efforts to vaccinate more Americans, scientists around the world wrestled with whether it would make sense to delay the second doses everyone will need so more people can be vaccinated more quickly.
Britain to Try Mix-and-Match COVID-19 Vaccinations
MONDAY, Jan. 4, 2021 (HealthDay News) — If a second dose of the first COVID-19 vaccine is not available or the maker is not known, then another vaccine may be used, new British guidelines say, The New York Times reported Sunday.
mRNA-1273 Vaccine Highly Effective for Preventing COVID-19
MONDAY, Jan. 4, 2021 (HealthDay News) — The mRNA-1273 vaccine has 94.1 percent efficacy for preventing COVID-19 illness, according to a study published online Dec. 30 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
No Causal Link Found for COVID-19, Guillain-Barré Syndrome
MONDAY, Jan. 4, 2021 (HealthDay News) — There seems to be no causal association between COVID-19 and Guillain-Barré syndrome, according to a study published online Dec. 14 in Brain.
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