All COVID-19 News
Accelerating Healthcare Transformation through Leadership Competencies
2024 11 Jul
The COVID-19 pandemic has undeniably accelerated the adoption of digital healthcare technologies by both providers and consumers. In response, numerous companies have ventured into the healthcare arena, offering services such as pharmaceutical deliveries, telehealth visits, concierge primary care, and a myriad of other e-health solutions. This... Read more
Life-Saving Effect of Dexamethasone in COVID-19
2024 09 Jul
Dexamethasone is a life-saving treatment for severe COVID-19, though patients exhibit varied responses to the therapy. Researchers at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin have uncovered how this cortisone compound influences the impaired inflammatory response and which patients benefit... Read more
Bridging the Gap in Organ Transplants: Power in Technology, Data & Support
2024 27 Jun
Transplant surgeons continuously grapple with the daunting challenge of organ shortages, a struggle exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Technological advancements and medical research have improved post-transplant survival rates, but these successes have also heightened the organ demand. Innovative techniques and data-driven approaches are essential... Read more
Nirmatrelvir-Ritonavir for Long-COVID
2024 09 Jun
In a recent clinical trial, a 15-day course of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir targeting SARS-CoV-2 was found to be safe as an extended-duration treatment. However, it did not alleviate specific symptoms of long COVID. These findings are published in JAMA Internal Medicine. The combination of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir is approved by the FDA for treating... Read more
Inequities in Nurses’ Moral Distress
2024 08 Jun
Research indicates that when nurses feel blocked from taking morally justifiable actions or achieving ethical outcomes, it leads to poor mental health, burnout, and a desire to leave their jobs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, surveys revealed that shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) and lack of support from hospital administrators were... Read more
Director-General’s Award: Barbados PM & mRNA Vaccine Developers Honored for COVID-19 Efforts
2024 27 May
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus presented his Award for Global Health to the Prime Minister of Barbados and two scientists for their contributions to advancing global health at the Seventy-seventh World Health Assembly. The Director-General’s Award for Global Health, established in 2019, goes to Her Excellency, Mia Mottley,... Read more
Strengthening Cardiovascular Care Resilience for Healthier Hearts: The RESIL-Card Project
2024 24 May
Prompted by concerns over the substantial disruptions in cardiovascular care during the COVID-19 pandemic, a team of interventional cardiologists has joined forces with public health and healthcare delivery experts to launch the EU-co-funded RESIL-Card project, which aims to develop a toolkit for resilience assessment to improve preparedness... Read more
How ‘invitations’ from Penn Medicine Restored Mammogram Completion Rates
2024 23 May
The first few waves of COVID-19 slowed life across the United States, affecting everything from attending school to eating out for dinner and going on vacation. Segments of health care were also affected: Services that were not considered immediately crucial to fighting the virus were slowed or stopped during the pandemic’s first wave. ... Read more
Moderna Wins COVID Shot Patent Case Against Pfizer-BioNTech in Europe
2024 17 May
Moderna said on Friday the European Patent Office had upheld the validity of one of the company's key patents, a win in an ongoing COVID-19 vaccine dispute with Pfizer and BioNTech The company has been locked in a legal battle with Pfizer-BioNTech over their COVID shot Comirnaty after suing them in 2022 for allegedly copying its mRNA technology.... Read more
Implementation of Remote Monitoring Solutions: Barriers & Facilitators
2024 16 May
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of remote healthcare pathways worldwide, moving away from traditional face-to-face models. This shift includes integrating telemedicine and remote monitoring solutions, which offer advantages such as reducing viral exposure risk and providing quality care remotely. The concept of "virtual wards"... Read more
COVID-19 Vaccine Helps Heart Failure Patients Live Longer
2024 14 May
According to research presented at Heart Failure 2024, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), heart failure patients vaccinated against COVID-19 are 82% more likely to survive than their unvaccinated counterparts. While previous research has confirmed the safety of COVID-19 vaccines in patients with cardiovascular... Read more
Novavax & Sanofi to Co-commercialize COVID-19 Vaccine & Develop Combo Vaccines
2024 10 May
Agreement provides individuals with broader access to a protein-based non-mRNA adjuvanted COVID-19 vaccine through combined commercial strength, from 2025 onwards Provides Novavax with cash and an equity investment totalling approximately $1.2 billion (upfront payment of $500 million and up to $700 million in additional development, regulatory... Read more
AstraZeneca Says it Will Withdraw COVID-19 Vaccine Globally as Demand Dips
2024 08 May
AstraZeneca said on Tuesday it had initiated the worldwide withdrawal of its COVID-19 vaccine due to a "surplus of available updated vaccines" since the pandemic. The company also said it would proceed to withdraw the vaccine Vaxzevria's marketing authorizations within Europe. "As multiple, variant COVID-19 vaccines have since... Read more
Long-term Impact of Telemedicine Adoption on Outcomes, Spending and ER Visits
2024 30 Apr
During the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine saw a significant surge in usage, which has persisted even after the initial spike. This was facilitated by temporary regulatory changes and reimbursement expansions by various payers. Congress extended Medicare's coverage of telemedicine until December 2024, but without further action, this coverage... Read more
The Least Bad Decision: Crisis Standards of Care After the Pandemic
2024 19 Apr
COVID-19 was an emergency that lasted for years and left few regions of the world untouched. The pandemic shone a spotlight on both the strengths and weaknesses of our disaster planning. What worked, what did not, and how can we better plan for future emergencies? The COVID-19 pandemic forced hospitals and health systems around the world... Read more
Patient and Family Partnerships in the ICU: History, Benefits, and Strategies for the Future
2024 19 Apr
The seamless integration of patient- and family-centred care in the critical care setting remains elusive. This review discusses the history and benefits of patient- and family-centred care, plus strategies for partnering with patients and families in the critical care setting. Introduction Patient and family partnerships in the... Read more
Google's HeAR: New AI Tool for Health Monitoring Through Sound Analysis
2024 05 Apr
A team of Google scientists has unveiled a groundbreaking machine-learning tool named Health Acoustic Representations (HeAR) designed to detect and monitor various health conditions by analysing sounds like coughing and breathing. This innovative artificial intelligence (AI) system, trained on an extensive dataset comprising millions of human audio... Read more
Long COVID Symptoms: Researchers Highlight Role of Enzyme-Like Antibodies
2024 04 Apr
Researchers at UVA Health, led by Dr. Steven L. Zeichner, have discovered a potential explanation for some of the mysteries surrounding COVID-19 and long COVID. They found that COVID-19 can induce the production of antibodies, termed "abzymes," that mimic enzymes regulating essential body functions like blood pressure, blood clotting, and inflammation.... Read more
Just Published: The HOT-COVID Clinical Trial - ISICEM 2024
2024 19 Mar
Findings from the HOT-COVID Randomised Clinical Trial, just published in JAMA, were presented at #ISICEM24. COVID-19 pneumonia often leads to hypoxaemic respiratory failure, necessitating high levels of supplemental oxygen and intensive care. Previous recommendations suggested maintaining peripheral oxygen saturation (Spo2) between 90% and... Read more
Revised EUSOBI Guidelines on Axillary Lymphadenopathy After COVID-19 Vaccination
2024 06 Mar
Axillary lymphadenopathy is a common side effect of the COVID-19 vaccination, leading to increased imaging-detected asymptomatic and symptomatic unilateral axillary lymphadenopathy. This has threatened to negatively impact the workflow of breast imaging services, leading to the release of ten recommendations by the European Society of Breast Imaging... Read more