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A study yesterday in Radiology used imaging to determine that breakthrough infections are less severe when a patient is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 compared with patients who are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated.
Also, new CDC data show that vaccines offer protection against the Omicron variant.
"The instructions ... weren't clear about what you should do if your test was negative."
The agency also calls attention to the burden that COVID-19 medical waste is putting on healthcare systems and suggests solutions.
A multifaceted antibiotic stewardship strategy implemented in three emergency departments (EDs) was associated with an increase in guideline-concordant antibiotic choices for patients with urinary tract infections (UTIs), researchers reported today in Clinical Infectious Diseases.
Two studies yesterday in Nature show that the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines provide robust cellular protection against serious illness caused by the highly transmissible Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant, despite evidence of waning neutralizing antibody protection against the virus.
Pre-Omicron data show 93% protection against COVID-19 and 98% protection against severe COVID-19.
The secondary attack rate was shown higher in Denmark for BA.2 than the original Omicron—39% vs 29%.
People with disabilities had 36% longer COVID-19 hospital stays and 77% more readmissions.
Significantly fewer adult Medicare beneficiaries with schizophrenia or bipolar 1 disorders had mental health-related outpatient, emergency department (ED), and hospital visits, as well as fills for antipsychotics and mood-stabilizing drugs in the first 8 months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A multifaceted stewardship intervention aimed at virtual visits was tied to improvements in guideline-concordant antibiotic prescribing for upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) and sinusitis, University of Michigan researchers reported today in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology.
One study finds that 2 vaccinated parents are better than 1 at protecting kids.
Also, people are concerned about the impact of Omicron on the economy and on hospitals.
New rules limiting the use of antibiotics in food-producing animals in the European Union went into effect today.
A third COVID-19 vaccine dose increased vaccine effectiveness (VE) against hospitalization from 82% to 97% among adults with healthy immune systems and from 69% to 88% among those with impaired immunity, according to a study today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).
Our weekly wrap-up of antimicrobial stewardship & antimicrobial resistance scans
Also, the ECDC says the BA.2 subvariant is now dominant in Denmark and is rising elsewhere.
US hospital data show 150,000 COVID-19 patients being treated, down from a record 160,000.
"Without antibiotics, we are set back 100 years."
Both studies show promise for boosters against Omicron, with one focusing on dose interval.
