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Safe or risky? Indoor dining during the COVID-19 pandemic
Dorothy L. Tengler Medical & Allied HealthcareThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now suggests that dining out increases risk of contracting coronavirus more than other activities, citing the fact that masks are not used while people are eating and drinking. In fact, a new CDC study found that people who tested positive for the coronavirus were twice as likely to have eaten at a restaurant beforehand. The researchers collected data during the month of July across 10 states from 314 adults with coronavirus symptoms.
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Study: Dryer weather connected to an increase in COVID-19 cases
Amanda Ghosh Medical & Allied HealthcareThere is yet another reason to wear your mask. A recent study published in Transboundary and Emerging Diseases confirms that drier air is associated with an increase in COVID-19 cases. The study, entitled "Humidity is a Consistent Climatic Factor Contributing to SARS‐CoV‐2 Transmission," is the second to confirm the impact of humidity on the spread of COVID-19. Specifically, a 1% drop in relative humidity was associated with a 7-8% increase in COVID-19 cases.
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Report: Telehealth vendors are fighting off many more cyberattacks than…
Scott E. Rupp Medical & Allied HealthcareAs telehealth use has skyrocketed throughout COVID-19, so has the number of attacks on these systems by cyber thieves, according to a new report from cybersecurity rating firm SecurityScorecard and dark web research company DarkOwl. Attacks on similar video services, like Zoom, were headline news earlier this year, too, at the height of the economic shutdown caused by the pandemic. As organizations have moved to remote environments or offered services through telecommunications, these technologies have become honeypots to cybercriminals.
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Report: Was there enough oversight for federal virus aid?
Seth Sandronsky Civil & GovernmentA new report on recipients of federal pandemic aid from the CARES Act asks if there was adequate congressional oversight before tax dollars went out the door as the economy closed to slow the spread of COVID-19 in March. "The revelation that tens of thousands of CARES Act recipients have records of misconduct — including some cases of a criminal nature — raises the question of whether the eligibility criteria for the grant and loan programs were strict enough," according to Philip Mattera, research director at Good Jobs First, a Washington, D.C.-based watchdog group.
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Dental guidelines limit aerosol-generating procedures during pandemic
R.V. Scheide Oral & Dental HealthcareLast month, the World Health Organization recommended delaying "routine nonessential oral health care … until there has been a sufficient reduction in COVID-19 transmission rates from community transmission to cluster cases." But the American Dental Association was quick to "respectfully yet strongly disagree" with the WHO’s call to delay "routine" care now, as many dental offices have successfully reopened. "Millions of patients have safely visited their dentists in the past few months for the full range of dental services," ADA President Chad P. Gehani said the day after the WHO’s announcement.
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The 3 C’s of healthcare innovation: Curiosity, creativity, and critical…
Keith Carlson Medical & Allied HealthcareIn the 21st century, myriad buzzwords and concepts have emerged within the healthcare realm, and one certainly stands out from the crowd in terms of its applicability in most any milieu or application, and that’s innovation. Three of the central engines that power innovation can be readily harnessed in the interest of progress and forward movement, and they are curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking — the three C’s of healthcare innovation.
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Studies: Hospitals, physicians more trusted for disseminating COVID-19…
Scott E. Rupp Medical & Allied HealthcareWhen Americans want information about COVID-19 and a potential vaccine, they are more likely to believe news from their local hospitals than federal agencies, a new study by The Harris Poll says. It recently asked more than 2,000 adults how trustworthy they believe different sources are when attempting to understand where they can get accurate information about developing a COVID-19 vaccine.
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US payrolls add 1.4 million jobs; unemployment rate drops to 8.4%
Seth Sandronsky Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementEmployers added 1.4 million nonfarm new hires in August, down from the creation of 1.8 million jobs in July, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. August’s rate of unemployment fell to 8.4% from July’s 10.2%. Driving such improvements were economic reopening and Census 2020 hiring. The number of unemployed workers on temporary layoff dropped to 6.2 million in August compared with July’s 9.2 million, according to the BLS.
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Survey: ‘Long haulers’ report lingering, numerous symptoms…
Dorothy L. Tengler Medical & Allied HealthcareA recent survey conducted by researchers affiliated with Survivor Corps, a not-for-profit, grassroots movement that connects COVID-19 survivors to the medical, scientific, and academic research community, suggests that COVID-19 symptoms may linger for weeks or months after an initial diagnosis of the disease and include everything from joint pain and fevers to hair loss and double vision. In fact, these victims of the virus have self-nicknamed themselves the "long haulers" and report nearly 100 different symptoms.
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How pharmacists can help stem insomnia — a growing public health issue
Sheilamary Koch PharmaceuticalSleeping well not only boosts one’s mood and ability to pay attention, it supports the body's immune functioning and ability to fight infections. So it’s ironic that now when people most need the benefits of a good night’s sleep, an increased number are finding it elusive. In fact, insomnia has surged to such a degree since the pandemic started, that doctors have coined the phrase "COVID-somnia" to describe it.
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