Respiratory Infections News

According to the Pan American Health Organization, more than 60,000 pregnant women in the Americas have been diagnosed with COVID-19, and 458 have died.

In the early months of the pandemic, a Boston hospital with an infection prevention program that included dedicated COVID-19 units with airborne infection isolation rooms recorded just two cases of nosocomial COVID-19, a study found.

Earlier this month, phase 3 trials for AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate were halted due to a suspected serious adverse reaction in a participant from the United Kingdom. The trials have since resumed in the U.K.

Latent tuberculosis infection therapy in maintenance dialysis may be safe if combined with close follow-up and monitoring, according to results from a recently published study.

The CDC added and then removed a note on its website that said SARS-CoV-2 is commonly spread via airborne transmission, saying that the update was part of new guidance that is still under review and was posted by mistake.

Data from more than 73 million patients’ anonymized EHRs revealed that those with a substance use disorder have an increased risk for COVID-19 and related complications, according to a study published in Molecular Psychiatry.

In a single-center study, researchers observed no significant differences in mechanical ventilator use, hospitalization or ICU admission rates among children with COVID-19 compared with children with influenza.

In updated guidance, the AAP said some children with COVID-19 may need an ECG before they return to playing sports, based on growing evidence that SARS-CoV-2 infection can severely damage the heart.

The CDC again revised its COVID-19 testing guidance for asymptomatic people, saying definitively that people without symptoms who have been in close contact with an infected person for more than 15 minutes should be tested.

The Infectious Diseases Society of America launched a COVID-19 website for frontline clinicians that includes information curated by a multidisciplinary team of experts.