Aug 2nd, 2021 - Editor's note: Find the latest COVID-19 news and guidance in Medscape's Coronavirus Resource Center. I know China is far away, but this virus is faster than you think, so maybe rethink your Saturday night plans. — Urgent Messages from Italians in Coronavirus Quarantine, YouTube. In March 2020, Italians in quarantine recorded video messages addressed to "themselves of 10 days ago," before the co...

Aug 1st, 2021 - An occurrence of an artifact due to contamination is reported. A patient wearing the mandatory face mask because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic underwent post-radioiodine therapy scintigraphy. The spot view of the neck showed an area of intense iodine uptake with an unusual appearance. Suspecting a possible artifact due to iodine contamination, the patient was given a new mask to wear and the...

Jul 31st, 2021 - The COVID-19 pandemic has severely disrupted supply chains for many types of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), particularly surgical N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs; "masks"). As a consequence, an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the FDA has allowed use of industrial N95 respirators and importation of N95-type masks manufactured to international standards; these include KN95 ...

Jul 31st, 2021 - This laboratory study was done to evaluate the efficacy of personal protective equipment (PPE) and high-volume evacuation (HVE) against the spread of human coronavirus type 229E (HCoV-229E) during a standard dental procedure. Patient and operator manikins were used to recreate a dental setting inside a custom-built class III cabinet-like chamber. The mouth of the patient manikin was inoculated ...

Jul 30th, 2021 - The widespread use of masks during the COVID-19 pandemic presents a new avenue for protecting the lower half of the face from the harms of sun exposure. The increased social acceptability of masks, which may persist post-pandemic, has the potential to impact prevention of photosensitive disorders, photoaging, and skin cancer. The authors sought to review clinically relevant information on the u...

Jul 30th, 2021 - Covid 19: More US institutes, universities, and businesses make masks mandatory as cases rise sharply.|2021|Tanne JH,|

Jul 30th, 2021 - Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has developed into a severe public health concern. The present study was aimed to evaluate the related preventive behaviors to COVID-19, and associated factors among Iranians based on the constructs of the Health Belief Model (HBM). This cross-sectional study was conducted between March and April 2020 among Iranians. Data of 1,020 people were collected by a s...

Jul 30th, 2021 - To survey the knowledge, attitude, and practices of Vietnamese pharmacists regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-sectional, paper-based study was conducted from June to August 2020. A validated questionnaire (Cronbach's alpha = 0.84) was used to interview 1,023 pharmacists in nine provinces of Vietnam. Analysis of covariance was employed to identify factors associated with the knowledge o...

Jul 30th, 2021 - This study examines the association between food insecurity and mental health of women during the COVID-19 pandemic in a resource poor setting. Data were collected at two time-points (wave 1 and 2) from 2402 women, one per household, participating in a larger study during extended COVID-19 lockdown in the rural areas of the southwest region of Bangladesh. The primary outcome of the analyses is ...

Jul 30th, 2021 - COVID-19 vaccination remains the most effective means to achieve control of the pandemic. In the United States, COVID-19 cases and deaths have markedly declined since their peak in early January 2021, due in part to increased vaccination coverage (1). However, during June 19-July 23, 2021, COVID-19 cases increased approximately 300% nationally, followed by increases in hospitalizations and deat...

Jul 29th, 2021 - Editor's note: Find the latest COVID-19 news and guidance in Medscape's Coronavirus Resource Center. The CDC is expected to announce this week that new data shows people vaccinated against COVID-19 who become infected with the Delta variant can spread it and infect others, The New York Times reported late Thursday. The revelation is one reason the agency reversed course this week and said fully...

Jul 29th, 2021 - Distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) was measured to investigate the effect of mask use and type on oxygen saturation on cochlear function in health care professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Group 1 participants wore surgical masks; Group 2 participants wore N95 masks. Distortion product otoacoustic emission and oxygen saturation were measured in both groups before and after m...

Jul 29th, 2021 - The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of surgical masks and face shields on speech intelligibility of adults with moderate to severe hearing loss. This study measured speech tracking scores in quiet for life speech in three different conditions: without a mask, with a surgical mask and with a face shield. Acoustic effects of the masks and face shields on the speech signal were also...

Jul 29th, 2021 - Scientists across disciplines, policymakers, and journalists have voiced frustration at the unprecedented polarization and misinformation around coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Several false dichotomies have been used to polarize debates while oversimplifying complex issues. In this comprehensive narrative review, we deconstruct six common COVID-19 false dichotomies, address the e...

Jul 28th, 2021 - Behaviours recommended for reducing transmission of COVID-19 - social distancing, wearing masks, and now, vaccination - are aimed at not only reducing one's own risk, but risk to others. We posited that a collectivist mindset, versus individualistic, would facilitate intentions to engage in behaviours aimed at curtailing the spread of the virus when the awareness of mortality is activated. This...

Jul 28th, 2021 - During the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, wearing facemasks became obligatory worldwide. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of facemasks on gas exchange. Healthy adults were assessed at rest and during slow and brisk 5-minute walks, with and without masks. We monitored O2 saturation, end-tidal carbon dioxide (EtCO2), and heart and respiratory rates. Participa...

Jul 27th, 2021 - Editor's note: Find the latest COVID-19 news and guidance in Medscape's Coronavirus Resource Center. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) once again is recommending that some Americans wear masks indoors. The agency called today for masks in K-12 school settings and in areas of the United States experiencing high or substantial SARS-CoV-2 transmission, even for the fully vaccina...

Jul 27th, 2021 - In a recent press briefing, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, called the COVID-19 Delta variant "one of the most infectious respiratory viruses we know of" and reported rising cases and hospitalizations in the United States. "Whether you are vaccinated or not, please know we together are not out of the woods yet," she said. "We are yet at another pivotal moment in this pandemic, with cases ri...

Jul 27th, 2021 - Personal protective equipment (PPE) is crucially important to the safety of both patients and medical personnel, particularly in the event of an infectious pandemic. As the incidence of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) increases exponentially in the United States and many parts of the world, healthcare provider demand for these necessities is currently outpacing supply. In the midst of the c...

Jul 25th, 2021 - Optical monitors have proven their versatility into the studies of air quality in the workplace and indoor environments. The current study aimed to perform a screening of the indoor environment regarding the presence of various fractions of particulate matter (PM) and the specific thermal microclimate in a classroom occupied with students in March 2019 (before COVID-19 pandemic) and in March 20...