In a study published in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, 89% of the SARS-CoV-2-positive, mildly symptomatic patients who had a sudden onset of altered sense of smell or taste, experienced a complete resolution or improvement of these symptoms. Persistent loss of smell or taste was not associated with persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection. At 4 weeks from the initial survey of mildly …
Consequences of Lack of Sleep
Many of us suffer from insomnia on the best of days but with the pandemic, many suffer from COVID sleep deprivation. You know that feeling, you lay in bed and your mind is racing a thousand miles an hour, doom is hovering overhead right? Well if this describes you, you will be unhappy to know that most humans spend one-third …
Once Broken – May Break Again
According to a recent study published in the Lancet, there is a crisis in the under-treatment of osteoporosis with a decline in the prescribing of oral and intravenous bisphosphonates in the United States. The rates of initiation of osteoporosis medication within 6 months of hospitalization for hip fracture have declined over the past 15 years from 10 to 3%. In …
The Fat Lady Sings
In an article published in Forbes magazine, three companies are currently leading the way to develop a vaccine that will be effective against all variants of COVID-19. The goal of this research is to possibly prevent a future pandemic from variants of the COVID-19 virus. The current providers of COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer, Moderna and J&J) are focusing their attention on …
Say it Isn’t So!
In a study published in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine on April 15th, more than 3,000 young, healthy members of the U.S. Marines found that “reinfection by SARS-CoV-2 in healthy young adults is common,” said Stuart Sealfon, MD the Sra B. and Seth M. Glickenhaus Professor of Neurology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “Despite a prior COVID-19 …
Expected Practice
To optimize patient outcomes and preserve critical acute care access during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services developed the SAFE@HOMEO2 Expected Practice (expected Practice), enabling ambulatory oxygen management for COVID-19. [The objective of the study was] to assess outcomes of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia discharged via the expected practice approach to home or quarantine housing …
Antigen Versus PCR
As we are all aware, the COVID-19 pandemic has hit our communities hard. Despite guidelines on co-horting and testing, and our efforts to protect our residents, nursing homes experienced large outbreaks. In a recent study published in JAMA Network Open, a discussion on whether pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic transmission could be the reason. Long-term separation after recovery kept the non-COVID-19 residents …
Vaccination and Infection
In a study published in JAMA Network, “regularly screened health care workers who had received 2 doses of the BNT162b2 messenger RNA vaccine were associated with significantly lower incidence rates for both symptomatic and asymptomatic infection. The association between vaccination status and symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection is similar to the 95% efficacy reported in the phase 3 randomized clinical trial. Asymptomatic …
Insulin Storage
Instructions on insulin vials or pens indicate that they should be stored, unopened, at temperatures of 35.6° F-46.4°F. Once the vial or pen is opened/punctured the insulin can be stored at room temperature 77°F-86°F for up to 28 days. As we hear more and more about social inequities, researchers took it upon themselves to determine how safe insulin would be …
Burnout Risks
In an interesting article published in the American Journal of Critical Care, a national survey-based study, conducted by the Ohio State University College of Nursing in Columbus identified that nurses who perceived high levels of wellness support from their organizations were more than twice as likely to have better health than nurses who reported not having supportive worksites. This study …