Tag: COVID-19

How specialist palliative care services around the world coped in response to COVID-19

Specialist palliative care services have been flexible, highly adaptive and have embraced a low-cost “frugal innovation” model in response to the COVID-19 pandemic say researchers. The CovPall study, published in Palliative Medicine, is a collaborative project between Lancaster University, Cicely Saunders Institute at King’s College London, Hull York Medical School and the University of York.

Parent, child well-being affected by schooling mode during COVID-19

Children not receiving in-person school instruction and their parents have worse mental, emotional, and physical health outcomes, according to research published in the March 19 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Jorge V. Verlenden, Ph.D., from the CDC in Atlanta, and colleagues examined differences in child

Study find progesterone therapy may improve COVID-19 outcomes for men

COVID-19 disproportionately affects men compared with women, raising the possibility that a hormone like progesterone may improve clinical outcomes for certain hospitalized men with the disease. New research from Cedars-Sinai published online in the journal Chest supports this hypothesis. The pilot clinical trial, involving 40 men, is believed to be the first published study to

To Avoid COVID-19 Infection, New CPR Technique Adds Distance

(Reuters) – To avoid coronavirus infection during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), medical professionals can increase their distance from the patient by doing chest compressions using the unshod heel of the foot – known as leg-heel compression – instead of their hands, a new study suggests. Researchers had 20 medical professionals perform standard manual chest compression followed

COVID-19 antibodies found in one in five U.S. blood donations

COVID-19 antibodies were found in the blood of about one in five donations from unvaccinated donors in the first week of March, American Red Cross data show. The organization tested more than 3.3 million donations from unvaccinated people in 44 states between mid-June 2020 and early March 2021. Across the entire period, about 7.5 percent

India’s PM warns of new wave as COVID-19 cases rise

Credit: CC0 Public Domain India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for increased testing and local restrictions to halt an “emerging second peak” of the coronavirus pandemic on Wednesday, as fresh daily cases hit a three-month high. The world’s third most infected nation with more than 11.4 million cases, India recorded a peak of just under

Prescribing of psychotropic meds up in nursing homes during COVID-19

(HealthDay)—Prescribing of psychotropic drugs increased for residents of nursing homes in Ontario, Canada, from January-February 2020 to March-September 2020, according to a study published online March 16 in JAMA Internal Medicine. Nathan M. Stall, M.D., from Sinai Health and the University Health Network in Toronto, and colleagues examined the monthly proportion of nursing home residents

Prescribing of psychotropic meds up in nursing homes during COVID-19

(HealthDay)—Prescribing of psychotropic drugs increased for residents of nursing homes in Ontario, Canada, from January-February 2020 to March-September 2020, according to a study published online March 16 in JAMA Internal Medicine. Nathan M. Stall, M.D., from Sinai Health and the University Health Network in Toronto, and colleagues examined the monthly proportion of nursing home residents

Fauci Says US Must Stick to Two-Shot Strategy for COVID Vaccines

(Reuters) – The United States must stick to a two-dose strategy for the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, top U.S. infectious disease official Anthony Fauci told the Washington Post newspaper. Fauci said that delaying a second dose to inoculate more Americans creates risks. He warned that shifting to a single-dose strategy for the vaccines could

EU Considers Switch to COVID-19 Vaccine Emergency Approvals

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Commission said on Tuesday that it was considering emergency approvals for COVID-19 vaccines as a faster alternative to more rigorous conditional marketing authorisations which have been used so far. The move would mark a big shift in approach to vaccine approvals, as it would entail using a procedure that the

Nanoparticle-delivered COVID-19 vaccine candidate shows promise in preclinical studies

Researchers from Cleveland Clinic’s Global Center for Pathogen Research & Human Health have developed a promising new COVID-19 vaccine candidate that utilizes nanotechnology and has shown strong efficacy in preclinical disease models. According to new findings published in mBio, the vaccine produced potent neutralizing antibodies among preclinical models and also prevented infection and disease symptoms

Spain: One Vaccine Dose to Under 55-Year-Olds Who Had COVID

MADRID (Reuters) – Spain will give a single vaccine dose to under 55-year-olds who have already been infected with COVID-19, the Health Ministry announced on Friday in the latest update of its national inoculation strategy. “The duration of protective immunity to the virus after natural infection is unknown but studies show that administering a single

EU Mulls Vaccination Passports to Resurrect Tourism After COVID-19

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – European Union leaders will agree on Thursday to work on certificates of vaccination for EU citizens who have had an anti-COVID shot, with southern EU countries that depend heavily on tourism desperate to rescue this summer’s holiday season. Lockdowns to slow the pandemic caused the deepest ever economic recession in the 27-nation

Sweden to Ease COVID Rules for Vaccinated Care Home Residents

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Sweden will ease restrictions on elderly residents of care homes who have been vaccinated against COVID-19, the country’s top epidemiologist said on Wednesday, at the same time as rules for the rest of the country are tightened. Sweden has seen a rise in cases in the last couple of weeks, raising fears