Just How Many New Depression, Anxiety Cases Popped Up in 2020?
Depressive and anxiety disorders increased substantially around the world since the start of the pandemic, hitting some groups harder than others, according to a new systematic review and meta-analyses. Two proxy measures for the impact of COVID-19 — daily infection rates and reductions in human mobility — were both significantly associated with surges in major […]
Vaccine Proselytizing in Burkina Faso
Vaccine hesitancy challenges our response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. and around the world. I recently had a chance to address this issue first-hand while visiting my research collaborators in Burkina Faso. COVID-19 vaccines have been in short supply in Africa. But, things have improved, and the Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca vaccines […]
Examining the Underpinnings of COVID Anti-Vaccine Sentiment
In the U.S., the reservoir of vaccine resistance is large enough to prevent control of the coronavirus pandemic. Since COVID-19 vaccines were first authorized, over half of all U.S. COVID-19 cases — an estimated 23 million new infections — and more than 300,000 deaths have occurred. The Kaiser Family Foundation estimates that just from June […]
More Than a Nursing Shortage: A ‘Skills Gap’, Too
During the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals have closed beds, shut down elective surgeries, and called in federal assistance due to a shortage of a critical healthcare resource — nurses. Shortages of nurses and other healthcare workers are plaguing hospitals throughout the U.S., especially those in COVID hotspots. Mississippi has 2,000 fewer nurses […]
Older age, chronic co-morbidities associated with more severe COVID disease in children
Over the course of the pandemic, researchers nationwide noticed differences in COVID-19 disease between children and adults. While risk factors for hospitalization and poor outcomes are well documented in adults, less is known about the clinical factors associated with COVID disease severity in children. In an effort to aid mitigation strategies for children who are […]
Despite Pandemic, Poverty Declined Thanks To Stimulus Checks
The coronavirus pandemic threw millions of Americans into unemployment last year, leading to the first drop in household income from work since 2011, according to a new report from the U.S. Census Bureau. But even though the official poverty rate also increased, a supplementary measure that accounts for stimulus payments found that poverty actually fell […]
For the First Time, Top College Rankings Include Undergrad Nursing Programs
The demand for nurses is reaching new heights as a result of the pandemic. For those looking to pursue a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) degree, the University of Pennsylvania is the top place to do so, according to U.S. News & World Report. Duke University and the University of Washington tied for second […]
Biden Urges Docs to ‘Reach Out’ to Unvaccinated Patients About a COVID Shot
WASHINGTON — President Biden on Thursday announced a six-point plan for battling the COVID-19 pandemic and appealed directly to physicians for help in getting more Americans vaccinated. “To the nation’s family physicians, pediatricians, and general practitioners: you’re the most trusted medical voice to your patients,” Biden said in an address in the White House State […]
2020 Was Not a Good Year for Infection Control
Healthcare-associated infections (HAI) in acute care hospitals soared during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, potentially erasing years of progress in combating these infections, researchers said. Significant increases in the national standardized infection ratios for central line-associated bloodstream infections, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, ventilator-associated events, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremia were noted in 2020 over […]
Health Insurance Coverage Stable in 2020, Despite Pandemic
Rates of health insurance coverage remained mostly stable during the pandemic, with an estimated 1.6 million more Americans gaining coverage in 2020, according to an early release from the CDC’s National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). From 2019 to 2020, the uninsured rate dropped from an estimated 10.3% (33.2 million) to 9.7% (31.6 million), a non-significant […]