COMPARED TO POLIO AND SMALLPOX, AMERICA’S COVID-19 VACCINATION CAMPAIGN IS GOING GREAT
Vaccine hesitancy is undeniably an obstacle in the fight against COVID-19. Sometimes, dramatically reducing the incidence of a disease requires only adequate, not absolute, compliance with a public-health regimen. In addition, the more insistently a vaccination campaign is pursued, the more doubt it raises in the minds of the hesitant about its true aims. The COVID vaccines have arrived faster, and been even safer, than vaccines in the past. They have also enjoyed less violent resistance and a more enthusiastic uptake. Over 60% of the U.S. population has already been vaccinated, and the threat of the Omicron variant, with its high transmission rate, will likely push this number higher.
Full Access:Â MSN
THE CHALLENGE AND PROMISE OF GETTING ORAL COVID DRUGS INTO PRACTICE
Experts are evaluating safety and efficacy data for three oral drugs: antiviral pills being developed by Merck/Ridgeback Biotherapeutics (molnupiravir) and Pfizer (Paxlovid), and a decades-old generic drug (fluvoxamine) that typically treats Obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression but has shown benefits in several published trials of COVID-19 outpatients — and costs under $10.
Full Access:Â Medscape
WHY IVERMECTIN SHOULD NOT BE USED TO PREVENT OR TREAT COVID-19
The American Pharmacists Association and American Society of Health-System Pharmacists have joined the AMA to release a statement that strongly opposes the ordering, prescribing or dispensing of Ivermectin to prevent or treat COVID-19 outside of a clinical trial. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a health advisory warning physicians and the public about the rise in prescriptions for the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin for use in the treatment or prevention of COVID-19. The CDC also cautioned about the risk of severe illness caused by ivermectin, which was seen in increased calls to poison centers.
Full Access:Â AMA
EFFECT OF ACTIVE VERSUS PASSIVE VOID TRIALS ON TIME TO PATIENT DISCHARGE, URINARY TRACT INFECTION, AND URINARY RETENTION: A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL
A prospective, randomized trial comparing active (AVT) versus passive (PVT) void trials of inpatients requiring urethral catheter removal. The study demonstrated no difference in time to discharge despite a 3.6 h reduction in time to void associated with AVT. AVT was associated with a 63% reduction in UTI, with no difference seen in UR rates across cohorts. Given the reduction in UTI and technical advantages, our data suggest that AVT should be considered as a recommended technique for void trial protocol.
Full Access:Â PubMed
