All COVID-19 News

COVID-19 Vaccines Prevented 20 Million Deaths Worldwide

2022 28 Jun

Findings from the first modelling study to quantify the impact of COVID-19 vaccines show that nearly 19.9 million out of a potential 31.4 million deaths were prevented in the first year (December 2020-December 2021) after the introduction of the vaccine. The findings are based on data from 185 countries using COVID-19 death records and total excess... Read more

Omicron Has Half the Risk of Long COVID Compared to Delta

2022 21 Jun

New research shows that the Omicron variant is less likely to cause Long-COVID compared to the Delta variant. The findings are published in The Lancet.  This is the first peer-reviewed study to report the risk of Long-COVID associated with the Omicron variant. As per the NICE guidelines, Long-COVID is defined as new or ongoing symptoms four weeks... Read more

COVID-19 Lockdown and Weight Changes

2022 21 Jun

It has been speculated that the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders and shutdown of public places may have resulted in weight gain and increased rates of obesity. A recent survey reported that 60% of adults had gained a mean of 5.6 kg in body weight. However, another meta-analysis suggested much smaller gains at about 1.57 kg. The findings are hence quite... Read more

Early Deep Sedation in Mechanically Ventilated COVID-19 Patients

2022 20 Jun

Sedation management is a critical component when managing mechanically ventilated patients. It is important to use a protocol-driven approach, which favours paired spontaneous awakening (SAT) and breathing (SBT) trials, along with light levels of sedation. The initial period of respiratory failure in the emergency department and the first 48 hours... Read more

FDA Approves COVID-19 Vaccine for Children Under Five

2022 19 Jun

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given emergency use authorisation to the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for children under five. Vaccine advisors at the CDC have voted unanimously in support of the measure. As a result, the COVID-19 vaccine can now be given to children as young as six months old.  The Pfizer vaccine is good for... Read more

#EA22: Long-Term Exposure to Air Pollution Increases Risk of Severe COVID-19

2022 07 Jun

New research presented at Euroanaesthesia 2022 finds that long-term exposure to air pollution is linked to a greater risk of severe COVID-19. Findings from the study show that people living in counties with higher levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) were more likely to need ICU care and mechanical ventilation if they had COVID-19. Long-term exposure... Read more

Clinical, Organisational Factors and COVID-19 Mortality

2022 31 May

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is one of the most significant challenges faced by critical care workers worldwide. During the COVID-19 pandemic, an unprecedented number of patients with COVID-19 associated pneumonia were admitted to the ICU. As a result, most healthcare facilities faced capacity issues and had to designate clinical areas to accommodate... Read more

Contrast Agent Shortage Sends Ripples through Radiology

2022 23 May

Radiology departments react to a shortage of iodinated contrast media from GE Healthcare, caused by an unexpected COVID-19 lockdown in Shanghai, China. GE Healthcare’s manufacturing plant in Shanghai produces the iodinated contrast media, Omnipaque (iohexol) and Visipaque (iodixanol), which are used to enhance computed tomography and other imaging... Read more

The Nursing Workforce Needs Greater Investment

2022 13 May

The International Council of Nurses (ICN) released its International Nurses Day (IND) toolkit on 12 May 2022, a report that provides multisectoral guidance to nursing stakeholders globally. In releasing this document, ICN’s goal is to support the implementation of the WHO Global Strategic Directions for Nursing and Midwifery: 2021-2025 (SDNM) . The... Read more

Telehealth Follow-up Compares Well to In-Person Care For Chronic Conditions

2022 10 May

A Johns Hopkins University study compared in-person and telehealth ambulatory encounter outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic’s first year. They found that telehealth follow-ups compared equally well to in-person visits outcomes for chronic conditions.   Telehealth services in the U.S. have expanded since the beginning of the pandemic to provide... Read more

Long COVID and Recovery Following Hospitalisation

2022 10 May

More than 500 million cases of COVID-19 have been reported worldwide. Patients infected with COVID-19 are at a higher risk of persisting health impairments six months after hospital discharge associated with reduced physical function and health and quality of life. It is thus important to understand the long-term trajectory of recovery from COVID-19.... Read more

Mental Health and Policy Stringency During COVID-19

2022 03 May

According to two new studies that have reviewed data from 15 countries, pandemic policy measures aimed at controlling rather than eliminating COVID-19 are associated with worse mental health and lower life evaluations. Findings are published in The Lancet.  Study results show that countries that aimed to eliminate community transmission within... Read more

Executive Health Management

2022 29 Apr

Herbert Staehr serves as Global Head of Transforming Care Delivery for Siemens Healthineers, driving the company’s activities and messaging around delivering high-value care. In this capacity, he develops and executes programmes and outreach strategies aimed at healthcare providers around the world, as well as stakeholders in every branch of the healthcare... Read more

Hospitalised COVID-19 Patients More Likely to Die Than Those With Influenza

2022 27 Apr

Adults (aged 18 or older) hospitalised with COVID-19 are at higher risk of complications and death than those with influenza, despite being younger and having fewer chronic illnesses, according to a retrospective cohort study conducted at the Hospital del Mar in Barcelona. The findings, presented at this year’s European Congress of Clinical Microbiology... Read more

Effect of Prone Position C-ARDS

2022 27 Apr

COVID-19 has resulted in the death of over 4 million people worldwide. In severe cases of COVID-19, acute respiratory infection leads to severe pneumonia, which worries to progress hypoxaemia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).  Prolonged sessions in the prone position is an effective intervention to decrease mortality in these patients.... Read more

Vaccines Provide Everyone a Chance to Live a Fulfilling Life

2022 25 Apr

The World Health Organization (WHO) will focus on the theme of ‘Long Life for All’ for World Immunization Week, 24-30 April 2022. The goal is to bring people to understand that vaccines let us to pursue our dreams, protect our loved ones, and make it possible for us to live a long & healthy life.   Every April, World Immunization Week brings people fr Read more

VA-LRTI Infections in COVID-19

2022 19 Apr

COVID-19 continues to create a strain on healthcare systems around the world. Approximately 10-30% of COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital need ICUs, and 15-20% of these patients require ventilatory support. The available data shows an increased risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and ventilator-associated lower respiratory tract infections... Read more

The Omicron XE Variant

2022 14 Apr

Omicron XE is spreading in the U.K. and elsewhere. This variant comes as the U.K. faces a surge of new COVID-19 infections. Currently, 1 in 14 people (6.9% of the population) are estimated to test positive for COVID-19.   This variant is a hybrid of Omicron: BA.1 (the original Omicron strain) and BA.2 (the more infectious and dominant strain in... Read more

The Impact of Staffing Shortages on Patient Safety

2022 12 Apr

A recent study published in the  American Journal of Infection Control  showed that staff shortages and the extra burden on hospitals caused by the COVID-19 pandemic could increase the number of acquired infections and threaten patient care.   The study examined hospital-acquired infections at two hospitals in Illinois between September 2017 and... Read more

ICU-Related Loss of Quality of Life After COVID-19

2022 12 Apr

COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the number of hospital admissions, including many patients presenting acute respiratory failure. Approximately 15% of hospitalised COVID-19 patients require ICU admission.  It is well established that the physical and psychological impact of an ICU stay on patients can be quite significant and prolonged.... Read more