Coronavirus

Lakesha M. Butler, PharmD, BCPS, diversity and inclusion coordinator and clinical professor at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, discussed causes of health inequity and how pharmacists can prevent and mitigate them to improve patient outcomes.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, pharmacy technicians spent most of their shifts helping patients, billing insurance, stocking the pharmacy area, dispensing prescriptions, and other administrative duties. However, COVID-19 quickly changed that.

Errors related to extended-release opioids and COVID-19 vaccines warrant attention and should be a priority.

Nearly half of independent pharmacists surveyed by the National Community Pharmacists Association are not getting enough or any doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

As the FDA and CDC have paused use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine in the United States, research is ongoing to understand whether cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) is directly linked to the vaccine.

The FDA and CDC said that 6 women experienced cerebral venous thrombosis, an extremely rare disorder associated with blood clotting, 6 to 16 days after the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine was administered.

The pharmacist is the last barrier between a patient and a drug, which is why it's critical for pharmacists to check for allergies, potential drug interactions, patient understanding of how to use the drug, and whether the prescription is appropriate for the diagnosis.

COVID-19 has increased the demand for new, safer curbside conveniences and the health care industry—including the pharmacy—has transformed rapidly to meet patient needs and prioritize safety as a result of the pandemic.

The most common reason given for refusal of a COVID-19 vaccine was distrust of the health care system, correctional or government personnel, and institutions.

Indicators of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact, including testing rates, positivity ratio, case rates by overall population, and deaths, are clustered by neighborhood, with low-income and predominantly minority communities experiencing worse outcomes.

Based on their findings and considering the small size and portability of the test, the investigators said it could be used for fast virus detection in schools and airports.

Patricia Stinchfield, the president-elect of National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, discusses the recommended framework for vaccine messaging for leaders across sectors.

For the study, the research team modeled COVID-19 transmission rates and the optimal allocation of an initially limited vaccine supply in the United States under a variety of scenarios.

Two-thirds of surveyed physicians said patients are presenting with more late-stage cancers, with 73% saying patients in their practice are not receiving screenings.

Hager Hanon, PharmD, RPh, senior pharmacist at Community Care Rx, discusses COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy among pregnant women and people with a history of anaphylaxis.

Further, the findings indicate that rapid screens can predict infection with nearly the same precision as antibody tests conducted in a lab, which could be useful for providers.

After the implementation of measures to stop COVID-19, newly detected respiratory viruses were approximately 80% lower compared to the same time period from 2015 to 2019.

Modifications include high rates of neoadjuvant endocrine chemotherapy, genomic assay testing on core biopsies, and delays in planned surgeries.

After reviewing the mechanisms of the first three COVID-19 vaccines granted emergency use authorization, we can now address some of the most common concerns that have been expressed regarding vaccine hesitancy.

Ted Karkus, CEO of ProPhase Labs, discusses the differences between saliva COVID-19 tests and nasal swab COVID-19 tests and their different uses in clinical practice.

While the prevalence of COVID-19 in patients with COPD is relatively low, those who are infected with the virus experience more severe symptoms than those without COPD.

Opioid overdoses are killing nearly as many of our neighbors and patients as COVID-19 and in much younger populations.

The Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine was 100% effective in preventing COVID-19 cases in South Africa, where the B.1.351 variant is prevalent.

In April 2020, colonoscopy screenings declined from 15.1 per 10,000 beneficiaries to 0.9, a 95% difference.

Patients who received a flu shot during the last flu season were significantly less likely to test positive for a COVID-19 infection at the start of the pandemic, according to a study published in the American Journal of Infection Control.

Pharmacist-led services are not only important during COVID-19 immunization efforts in the United States, but are additionally critical in vaccination endeavors globally.

Thoughtful application can reduce resistance and improve overall operations, if consistent steps are followed.

Aspects of normal life outside of the pandemic could create difficulties for children with type 1 diabetes, including pressures around food in school.

The team discovered a correlation between the implementation of Henry Ford’s universal mask policy and a significant drop in the rate at which its health care workers tested positive for SARS-CoV-2.

Earlier research has found that vitamin D supplementation can prevent inflammation in other respiratory diseases, but there have been limited studies examining the role of vitamin D supplementation in COVID-19.