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 Aug. 10 to 14, 2020. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal studies and other trusted sources that is most likely to affect clinical practice.
COVID-19 Deaths in Nursing Homes Climbing Again
FRIDAY, Aug. 14, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The novel coronavirus is surging once more in U.S. nursing homes, where it killed tens of thousands at the start of the pandemic.
Zoom Meetings Driving Surge in Face-Lifts
FRIDAY, Aug. 14, 2020 (HealthDay News) — People whose only contact with the outside world is Zoom are taking a close look at themselves and flocking to plastic surgeons for face-lifts and eye lifts, The New York Times reported Thursday.
Convalescent Plasma Efficacious for Severe COVID-19
FRIDAY, Aug. 14, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Transfusion of convalescent plasma is efficacious in patients with severe COVID-19, according to a study published online Aug. 11 in The American Journal of Pathology.
Excess Mortality During Peak of 1918 Flu Similar to COVID-19 in NYC
FRIDAY, Aug. 14, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Excess mortality during the peak of the 1918 H1N1 influenza pandemic was comparable to that seen early in the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in New York City, according to a research letter published online Aug. 13 in JAMA Network Open.
Delayed Radiotherapy Not Tied to Worse Survival in Prostate Cancer
FRIDAY, Aug. 14, 2020 (HealthDay News) — For men with prostate cancer, initiation of radiotherapy up to six months after androgen deprivation therapy is not associated with worse overall survival, according to a research letter published online Aug. 13 in JAMA Oncology.
Positivity Rates of SARS-CoV-2 Low for Children in England
FRIDAY, Aug. 14, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Children in England had low positivity rates of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 during the first COVID-19 pandemic peak and also had a low case-fatality rate, according to a study published online Aug. 12 in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.
Return-to-School Recommendations Issued for Organ Transplant Recipients
FRIDAY, Aug. 14, 2020 (HealthDay News) — For solid organ transplant recipients, the decision of whether to return to school should be a shared decision between families, transplant professionals, and educators, according to an expert opinion article published online Aug. 4 in the Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society.
U.S. COVID-19 Death Tally Hits New High for Summer
THURSDAY, Aug. 13, 2020 (HealthDay News) — America logged its highest single-day COVID-19 death total of the summer on Wednesday, as the toll from an earlier surge in cases in Sun Belt states continued to mount.
FDA Warns of Hand Sanitizers Tainted With 1-Propanol
THURSDAY, Aug. 13, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning people not to use hand sanitizers made by Harmonic Nature S de RL de MI in Mexico.
Adverse Mental, Behavioral Health Issues Common During COVID-19
THURSDAY, Aug. 13, 2020 (HealthDay News) — More than 40 percent of adults across the United States have reported at least one adverse mental or behavioral health condition during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to research published in the Aug. 14 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Abnormal Liver Tests Common in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients
THURSDAY, Aug. 13, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Hospitalized patients with COVID-19 frequently have abnormal liver tests, which may be associated with poorer clinical outcomes, according to research published online July 29 in Hepatology.
CDC Updates Info on Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children
THURSDAY, Aug. 13, 2020 (HealthDay News) — As of July 29, there have been a total of 570 U.S. cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, according to research published in the Aug. 7 early-release issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
In-Person Clinic Visits at VA Down by Half Early in Pandemic
THURSDAY, Aug. 13, 2020 (HealthDay News) — During the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a 56 percent decline in in-person visits across Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient facilities, which is only partly offset by more than a twofold increase in the number of telephone and video visits, according to a research letter published online Aug. 10 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
U.S. Government to Buy 100 Million Doses of COVID-19 Vaccine From Moderna
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 12, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The Trump administration has agreed to pay $1.5 billion for 100 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine from Moderna once it is approved, CNN reported Wednesday.
Many Community Outbreaks of COVID-19 Traced to Restaurants, Bars
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 12, 2020 (HealthDay News) — New data show that many of the community outbreaks of COVID-19 that have cropped up in the United States this summer have originated in restaurants and bars.
CDC: Pediatric Hospitalizations for COVID-19 Increasing
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 12, 2020 (HealthDay News) — While rates of hospitalization for children with COVID-19 remain low, they have been increasing, according to research published in the Aug. 7 early-release issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Surgical Delays Not Life-Threatening in Early Breast Cancer
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 12, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Surgical delays do not seem to be life-threatening for women with ductal carcinoma in situ or with early-stage estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer, according to a study published online Aug. 6 in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.
FDA Head Says Any Approved COVID-19 Vaccine Will Be Safe
TUESDAY, Aug. 11, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Stephen Hahn, M.D., the head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, said Monday that the agency will not compromise safety when approving a COVID-19 vaccine, CNN reported.
Gilead Seeks FDA Approval for Remdesivir
TUESDAY, Aug. 11, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Gilead Sciences has applied to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for approval for its COVID-19 treatment, remdesivir. The antiviral drug will take the brand name Veklury, the company said.
SARS-CoV-2 Rates Up for Minority, Disadvantaged Children
TUESDAY, Aug. 11, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The rates of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection are increased among minority and socioeconomically disadvantaged children, according to a study published online Aug. 5 in Pediatrics.
Guidance Helps Doctors Optimize Telemedicine for Seniors
TUESDAY, Aug. 11, 2020 (HealthDay News) — In an Ideas and Opinions article published online Aug. 11 in the Annals of Internal Medicine, guidance is provided for physicians to optimize telemedicine, which can be challenging for older patients.
E-Cigarette Use Linked to Increased Odds of COVID-19
TUESDAY, Aug. 11, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Use of electronic cigarettes and dual use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes are associated with increased likelihood of COVID-19 diagnosis, according to a study published online Aug. 11 in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
Russia Approves COVID-19 Vaccine Before Trials Completed
TUESDAY, Aug. 11, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Before completing clinical trials to ensure the vaccine is safe and effective, the Russian government has gone ahead and approved a vaccine against the new coronavirus, The New York Times reported Tuesday.
Report: 97,000 U.S. Children Infected With COVID-19 in Late July
MONDAY, Aug. 10, 2020 (HealthDay News) — With millions of American children soon returning to school, a new study shows that at least 97,000 children were infected with COVID-19 during the last two weeks of July.
Expanding Medicaid in Holdout States Could Insure 3.9 Million
MONDAY, Aug. 10, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Expanding Medicaid to all states could reduce the number of uninsured by 28 percent based on pre-COVID-19 data, according to a report released by the Urban Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Two-Thirds of U.S. Adults Likely to Get COVID-19 Vaccine
MONDAY, Aug. 10, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Two-thirds of U.S. adults say they would get a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the results of a survey released Aug. 6 by the COVID-19 Consortium for Understanding the Public’s Policy Preferences Across States.
Hospitalization Rates for AMI Dropped During Early COVID-19
MONDAY, Aug. 10, 2020 (HealthDay News) — During the early COVID-19 period, there was a decrease in hospitalization rates for acute myocardial infarction, according to a brief report published online Aug. 7 in JAMA Cardiology.
Most Eye Practices Seeing Urgent Cases During COVID-19
MONDAY, Aug. 10, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Most practices are complying with the American Academy of Ophthalmology guidelines for scheduling patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study published online Aug. 5 in JAMA Ophthalmology.
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