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Even when insurance companies waived charges for COVID-19 hospitalizations, 10% of patients still had out-of-pocket costs of $2,000 or more for care that took place in the 6 months after they were released, finds a new study in the American Journal of Managed Care.
Our weekly wrap-up of antimicrobial stewardship & antimicrobial resistance scans
Japan saw a marked reduction in antimicrobial use (AU) in 2020 that's linked to the COVID-19 pandemic but could also reflect increased antimicrobial stewardship, according to a study yesterday in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases.
"The impact on the working population could be huge," one study author says.
Also, President Biden names a new White House COVID-19 coordinator to replace Jeff Zients.
The CDC researchers also find that mental health visits varied by race and ethnicity.
Four-dose efficacy of mRNA vaccines against symptomatic Omicron COVID-19 infection is modest, according to a research letter yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine that described a small study in Israel.
Implementation of a touchless hydrogen peroxide decontamination system at an acute care hospital was associated with a significant reduction in Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) rates over a 10-year period, researchers reported today in the American Journal of Infection Control.
The study suggests that mental health effects aren't equal and that time spent bedridden is a key factor.
Ongoing analysis and modifications of crisis-standards-of-care scoring systems could help avoid creating more racial disparities.
Rises in parts of Asia, Africa, and Europe led to the first global jump in cases in 5 weeks.
Raising the number of states to report highly pathogenic avian flu in backyard flocks or commercial poultry this year to 15, federal and state officials today announced the first outbreak in Nebraska. In related developments, Missouri reported another outbreak in backyard poultry, and federal officials reported more H5 detections in wild birds, including the first in Ohio and Illinois.
Study finds 13% lower prescribing after vaccination and notes that RSV is a major contributor to infant antibiotic prescriptions.
Fully 61% of guards and 36% of healthcare staff at California prisons were not vaccinated as of Jun 30, 2021.
Medical supply chain disruptions "have the potential to seriously compromise patient care."
Some experts warn of potential rises in the US based on wastewater surveillance data.
Also, South Dakota reports a second outbreak in commercial poultry and Maine confirms a new outbreak in a backyard flock.
More than a third of new mothers early in the COVID-19 pandemic had symptoms of postpartum (after-birth) depression—nearly triple pre-pandemic levels—and one in five had major depressive symptoms, with symptoms for both disorders higher in women who fed their babies formula, according to a study yesterday in BMC Research Notes.
The outbreaks in backyard flocks bring the number of affected states this year to 13, the USDA says.
In the US, COVID-19 measures continue to decline as scientists assess if an additional booster is needed.
The study involved 101 US federal prisons and their surrounding counties from May 2020 through January 2021.
