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On and off social distancing may be needed until 2022

Lockdown and social distancing measures are in place in many countries across the world, intended to stem the rapid spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) global pandemic. These measures work by reducing the risk of viral transmission in communities, reducing the burden of the healthcare system in dealing with the surge of patients, overwhelming its resources and workforce. Now, experts warn that these social distancing measures may still be needed until 2022.

16 Apr 2020

Experts explain how to decontaminate N95 masks from SARS-CoV-2

Amid the coronavirus global pandemic, the world is facing a shortage of medical supplies, especially those intended to protect health workers. With the high demand for personal protective equipment (PPE), including surgical masks and N95 masks, many people are left with no choice but to try and decontaminate this equipment for extended use. Now, a new study by experts shows how N95 masks can be adequately decontaminated for further use.

16 Apr 2020

Research shows speed of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 transmission in Boston homeless shelter

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is straining healthcare resources across the globe, prompting countries to impose social distancing measures to reduce the transmission of the virus. The problem is, the virus can spread even if the infected person has no symptoms, making contact tracing and isolation measures more difficult. Now, a new study reveals the rapidity of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 transmission that occurred in a Boston homeless shelter.

16 Apr 2020

Interactive tool helps identify potential shortages of COVID-19 workforce

As the U.S. healthcare workforce struggles to care for a rise in COVID-19 cases, there are growing reports that there are not enough workers to meet the surge in demand.

16 Apr 2020

Big brother wants to track your location and health data. And that’s not all bad.

A growing mix of health and technology experts are convinced that if the United States is to ever effectively track the coronavirus and slow its spread, then both self-reported and more surreptitiously gathered personal data — a mix of information about location, travel, symptoms and health conditions - must be gathered from millions of Americans.

16 Apr 2020

Caring for geriatric patients during COVID-19 pandemic requires vigilance

As the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic advances so does the uncertainty and evolution of the pandemic as it relates to nursing homes and long-term care facilities

16 Apr 2020

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: How will we reopen the economy?

President Donald Trump wants to reopen the country soon. But public health experts from across the ideological spectrum insist that won't be safe until the country can dramatically ramp up testing and contact tracing stemming from those infected.

16 Apr 2020

‘I wasn’t eating’: Senior twin sisters battle pandemic anxiety together

Ethel Sylvester dialed 911, trembling with fear. The 92-year-old felt hot. She thought turning off her thermostat could fix the problem. That didn't help.

16 Apr 2020

Novel 3D fusion imaging improves diagnosis of coronary artery disease

Coronary artery disease is the most common type of heart disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 18.2 million adults in the United States have coronary artery disease.

16 Apr 2020

With federal nod, consumers could lose the boost they get from drug ‘coupons’

Patients who get financial help from drug companies to cover their copayments for prescription drugs could owe a bigger chunk of their costs under a proposed federal rule.

16 Apr 2020

N.Y. leads the nation in COVID-19 tests, but the effort still lags behind demand

This jampacked city, with its high-rises, brownstones and cheek-by-jowl single-family homes, is a ripe environment for the novel coronavirus that has killed more than 11,000 residents. That density also complicates a key strategy for alleviating the epidemic: testing.

16 Apr 2020

Study investigates how people's habits, behaviors are affected by the coronavirus

By launching a new survey, researchers at CTF, Service Research Center at Karlstad University, want to investigate how people's habits, behaviors and experiences are changed and affected by the coronavirus.

16 Apr 2020

Jails and prisons spring thousands to prevent coronavirus outbreaks

Terry Smith, a 65-year-old Vietnam veteran with PTSD, multiple health issues and a history of homelessness, spent nearly three years in San Francisco County Jail awaiting trial on a burglary charge. The final several weeks were served in the full flush of a burgeoning viral pandemic.

16 Apr 2020

Coronavirus nurses ask an Ebola veteran: Is it OK to be afraid?

Martha Phillips knows exactly how it feels to suddenly find oneself up close to — and unprotected from — a deadly virus.

16 Apr 2020

FDA grants Emergency Use Authorization to Ortho’s COVID-19 total antibody test

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced it granted Emergency Use Authorization to Ortho Clinical Diagnostics' total antibody assay for COVID-19—the VITROS Immunodiagnostic Products Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Total Reagent Pack and Calibrators.

From Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, Inc. 16 Apr 2020

European Commission issues guidelines on coronavirus testing methodologies

Today, as part of the European Roadmap towards lifting coronavirus containment measures, the Commission is presenting guidelines on coronavirus testing methodologies.

15 Apr 2020

Depression, anxiety may be side effects of COVID-19 pandemic

Millions of Americans are being impacted by the psychological fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic aftermath, and large numbers may experience emotional distress and be at increased risk of developing psychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety, according to a new article published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine.

15 Apr 2020

New grant aims to develop digital tools for assessing patients with cardiovascular disease

A new grant will fund an international collaboration to develop tools to assess patients who suffer from cardiovascular disease.

15 Apr 2020

High-resolution imaging with elastography could accurately spot breast cancer in surgical margins

A high-resolution, three-dimensional imaging technique, when combined with quantitative measurement of tissue elasticity, could accurately detect cancer within the resected margins of surgical specimens taken from patients undergoing breast-conserving surgery.

15 Apr 2020

COVID-19 modeling shows that social distancing is a must, must, must

A new study shows that using mathematical modeling and accounting for several factors such as age distribution and density of the population, a clearer picture of COVID-19 infection in a population could be gained. The study titled, "Level of under-reporting including under-diagnosis before the first peak of COVID-19 in various countries: Preliminary Retrospective Results Based on Wavelets and Deterministic Modeling," is published as an accepted manuscript in the journal Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology.

15 Apr 2020