COVID-19

A high dose of vitamin D administered at the time of admission to the hospital cannot improve the condition of patients with moderate to severe COVID-19, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

This data could offer additional insights into how the pandemic may be impacting the nation's children, according to the study authors.

Americans who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 no longer need to wear masks when outside alone, with members of their household, or when attending small outdoor gatherings.

As new variants of the virus come to rise, it is crucial to continue to address the safety concerns with mass COVID-19 immunizations during the pandemic as well as provide solutions to reduce the exposure and spread of the virus.

Sudden disruptions in the supply of street drugs when the COVID-19 pandemic began were associated with an increase in overdose deaths and other harms.

For World Immunization Week, Pharmacy Times® interviewed Nurisha Wade, MBA, VP of Global Healthcare Quality & Safety Center of Excellence at US Pharmacopeia (USP), and Farah Towfic, PharmD, MBA, director, CEO of Operations at USP, on USP’s COVID-19 Vaccine Handling Toolkit.

Pharmacy Times® interviewed Scott J. Knoer, MS, PharmD, FASHP, the EVP and CEO of the American Pharmacists Association, on the Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Area Enhancement Act that was recently introduced in Congress.

The report further showed that drug expenditure in nonfederal hospitals declined 4.6%, while drug spending in home care settings increased 13%, and drug expenditures in nonfederal hospitals spiked in the 3 weeks immediately following the March 8, 2020 lockdown.

Pharmacies cannot prevent shortages, particularly with the complexities of treating COVID-19; however, they can strengthen their ability to prepare their organization to respond to those complexities.

The study found that more than 10% of participants who were previously infected with SARS-CoV-2 (seropositive) became reinfected, compared with new infections in 50% of participants who had not been previously infected (seronegative).

A new service connects community pharmacies with health care systems to support the delivery of health care products and services through crowdsourcing.

A CDC panel voted to add a warning label to the vaccine regarding rare cases of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis.

Individuals who had COVID-19 and recovered had a robust antibody response after the first mRNA vaccine dose, but little immune benefit after the second dose.

The decrease was lower in children under 2 years of age and recovered quickly in that group, but it remained persistent in older children.

The legislation does not expand scope of practice, but instead brings Medicare rules in alignment with existing responsibilities already granted to pharmacists through various credentialing and privileging programs.

Tapping techs as immunizers opens up greater visibility and new source of health care labor.

The researchers’ analysis was based on a large representative sample survey carried out in November to December 2020, which examined a range of factors that previous studies had found to be related to hesitancy about getting vaccinated against COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created challenges and opportunities, and this requires agility and flexibility.

There have now been approximately 70,000 pregnant people vaccinated against COVID-19 with no evidence of harm.

Technicians and other pharmacy professionals have been focused on the pandemic, but now can turn to what's next.

Pharmacy Times® interviewed Amy Snyder, a member at Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, on the implications for pharmacy of mandated COVID-19 vaccinations in higher education institutions.

Just as pharmacists have been on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kristen Lund, CPhT, a technician at Hy-Vee Pharmacy in Harlan, Iowa, said technicians have taken on greater responsibilities and have become more involved in patient care.

Community pharmacists should consider leaning on their specialty pharmacist peers, where available, as we continue to navigate the new, more virtual normal and attempt to expand these types of services in the future.

According to the researchers, this vaccine was developed using an innovative approach that may eventually open the door to a universal vaccine for coronaviruses, including coronaviruses that previously threatened pandemics or those that cause some cases of the common cold.

The vaccine that could provide protection against existing and future strains of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).