Personal Protective Equipment News and Research

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Alcohol and autoclaving are not efficient for disinfecting face masks

A University of Cincinnati researcher is advising against using two widely available sterilization methods to clean disposable surgical masks and N95 respirators for reuse in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

14 Jul 2020

Next showdown in Congress: Protecting workers vs. protecting employers in the pandemic

Congressional leaders are squaring off over the next pandemic relief bill in a debate over whom Congress should step up to protect: front-line workers seeking more safeguards from the ravages of COVID-19 or beleaguered employers seeking relief from lawsuits.

13 Jul 2020

States allow in-person nursing home visits as families charge residents die ‘of broken hearts’

States across the country are beginning to roll back heart-wrenching policies instituted when the coronavirus pandemic began and allow in-person visits at nursing homes and assisted living centers, offering relief to frustrated families.

13 Jul 2020

Study calls for adequate testing and treatment for African Americans with COVID-19

Marked racial disparities exist in confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths, investigators say, and highlight urgent needs to ensure adequate testing and treatment are available to African Americans and safer working and living conditions are in place so they can better protect themselves.

13 Jul 2020

Preserving people's health is as important as reviving the economy during COVID-19, argue researchers

Strategies for the safe reopening of low and middle-income countries (LMICs) from months of strict social distancing in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic must recognize that preserving people's health is as important as reviving the economy, argue an international team of researchers.

13 Jul 2020

Global government COVID-19 interventions - no one-fits-all solution exists

A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv in July 2020 shows that some less intrusive NPIs are better than total lockdown. This may help to shape future measures should repeated waves of the pandemic occur.

12 Jul 2020

Aerosol boxes increase healthcare workers' exposure to COVID-19

A new study shows that certain aerosol boxes of a similar type to those that have been manufactured and used in hospitals in the UK and around the world in order to protect healthcare workers from COVID-19 can actually increase exposure to airborne particles that carry the virus, and thus casts doubt on their usefulness.

12 Jul 2020

What people know and how they behave during COVID-19: Canadian perspective

Now, a new study by researchers in Canada and published on the preprint server medRxiv in July 2020 shows that national news is the primary source of information about the pandemic.

10 Jul 2020

Front-line health care workers tested positive for COVID-19 may not have typical symptoms

The IVY Research Network has completed initial studies evaluating the epidemiology of COVID-19 in health care workers and patients.

9 Jul 2020

Colorado School of Public Health's Center for Health, Work & Environment receives $9 million CDC grant

The Center for Health, Work & Environment at the Colorado School of Public Health has been awarded a $9 million five-year training and research grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to improve worker health, safety and well-being.

9 Jul 2020

Ozone gas can provide a safe means to disinfect personal protective equipment

A new study shows that ozone gas, a highly reactive chemical composed of three oxygen atoms, could provide a safe means for disinfecting certain types of personal protective equipment that are in high demand for shielding health care personnel from Covid-19.

9 Jul 2020

COVID-19 cases and deaths found to be higher among U.S. prison residents than general population

A new analysis led by researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that the number of U.S. prison residents who tested positive for COVID-19 was 5.5 times higher than the general U.S. population, with a prisoner case rate of 3,251 per 100,000 residents as compared to 587 cases per 100,000 in the general population.

8 Jul 2020

$50 million NIST funding to support U.S. manufacturers in their response to COVID-19

The U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has awarded a total of $50 million in emergency funding to support U.S. manufacturers in their response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

8 Jul 2020

Brigham experts develop reusable N95 mask alternative

With N95 masks in short supply, a team of bioengineers and clinical experts from Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has been developing a new, sustainable solution for health care workers to provide protection during the pandemic.

8 Jul 2020

How facemasks protect against COVID-19

The “new normal” is a way of living that helps prevent contracting the novel coronavirus. These include practices such as wearing masks in public places and staying at least six feet from each other. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), can be transmitted via respiratory droplets when a person sneezes, coughs, or talks.

7 Jul 2020

What seniors should know before going ahead with elective procedures

For months, Patricia Merryweather-Arges, a health care expert, has fielded questions about the coronavirus pandemic from fellow Rotary Club members in the Midwest.

6 Jul 2020

Coronavirus crisis disrupts treatment for another epidemic: Addiction

Shawn Hayes was thankful to be holed up at a city-run hotel for people with COVID-19.

6 Jul 2020

Which facemasks work best at stopping coronavirus?

A new study shows how wearing masks can prevent the spread of droplet borne infections and is an excellent preventive measure to stop the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The study titled, "Visualizing the effectiveness of face masks in obstructing respiratory jets," is published in the latest issue of the journal Physics of Fluids.

1 Jul 2020

Among those disrupted by COVID-19: The nation’s newest doctors

July 1 is a big day in medical education. It's traditionally the day newly minted doctors start their first year of residency. But this year is different. Getting from here to there — from medical school to residency training sites — has been complicated by the coronavirus.

1 Jul 2020

Silk useful as face mask and PPE in COVID-19

As many people are resorting to face coverings improvised from common fabrics, researchers from the University of Cincinnati looked to determine what fabrics were the most effective. The team examined the hydrophobicity of fabrics (silk, cotton, polyester), as measured by their resistance to the penetration of small and aerosolized water droplets, an important transmission avenue for the virus causing COVID-19.

30 Jun 2020

Personal Protective Equipment News and Research

Alcohol and autoclaving are not efficient for disinfecting face masks

Next showdown in Congress: Protecting workers vs. protecting employers in the pandemic

States allow in-person nursing home visits as families charge residents die ‘of broken hearts’

Study calls for adequate testing and treatment for African Americans with COVID-19

Preserving people's health is as important as reviving the economy during COVID-19, argue researchers

Global government COVID-19 interventions - no one-fits-all solution exists

Aerosol boxes increase healthcare workers' exposure to COVID-19

What people know and how they behave during COVID-19: Canadian perspective

Front-line health care workers tested positive for COVID-19 may not have typical symptoms

Colorado School of Public Health's Center for Health, Work & Environment receives $9 million CDC grant

Ozone gas can provide a safe means to disinfect personal protective equipment

COVID-19 cases and deaths found to be higher among U.S. prison residents than general population

$50 million NIST funding to support U.S. manufacturers in their response to COVID-19

Brigham experts develop reusable N95 mask alternative

How facemasks protect against COVID-19

What seniors should know before going ahead with elective procedures

Coronavirus crisis disrupts treatment for another epidemic: Addiction

Which facemasks work best at stopping coronavirus?

Among those disrupted by COVID-19: The nation’s newest doctors

Silk useful as face mask and PPE in COVID-19

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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