The tragedies of the COVID-19 pandemic have devastated the lives of millions around the world. Although social distancing is necessary to stop the spread of COVID-19, on-going social distancing and extended isolation have increased people's feelings of loneliness and alienation. These public health measures have resulted in an increased number of patients experiencing mental health issues. In an annual study by Mental Health America, the number of people looking for help with anxie...

Over the last two decades, the coronavirus family has been identified as the source of several highly pathogenic global outbreaks. The recent coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been identified as the culprit of the recent, highly infectious outbreak. As the COVID-19 exhibits similar to the 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), clinical manifestation most commonly presents in the pulmonary system. Treatment can vary depending on the infected individuals symptoms which range from mild to seve...

The COVID-19 vaccination completion rates are now in the hundreds of thousands. The CDC has released the latest updates on contraindications, allergic reactions, and precautions for Covid-19 vaccines. While previously the agency released guidelines for contraindication to vaccination, it's now broadened to include those with a history of immediate allergic reaction to a previous dose of or any component of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, including polyethylene glycol. Anyone with a history of immediate...

Obesity, having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or above, increases risk of severe illness from COVID-19. Patients of any age at high risk if they have underlying medical conditions, such as obesity. Recent findings show obesity among COVID-19 patients has particularly high risk of death more so than related risk factors such as diabetes or hypertension. It is especially important for people at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19, and those who live with them, to protect themselves from...

Patient blood management is a patient-centered, evidence-based approach to eliminating unnecessary blood transfusions. For many patients, blood transfusion is not an option, whether for religious reasons, safety concerns or a shortage of blood donations. Bloodless medicine and surgery are blood transfusion alternatives that have been shown to reduce infections and help patients recover faster. Surgeons may use methods such as using smaller tubes, limiting blood sampling, conducting multiple test...

Maintaining an adequate healthcare workforce in the current pandemic requires not only an adequate number of providers, but also requires maximizing the ability of each provider to care for a high volume of patients. Given that surges in critically ill patients could last weeks to months, it is also essential that healthcare providers be able to perform to their full potential over an extended period of time and cope with the societal shifts and emotional stressors. Providers face greater risks ...

As of March 2020, more than 100,000 novel coronavirus cases have been confirmed globally. With the continued spread of this pandemic, prevention and treatment of the disease have become urgent tasks. The drugs and vaccines currently being developed are not adequate to deal with this critical situation. Besides controlling the disease through effective isolation, a rapid response from healthcare and biotechnology industries is required to accelerate the treatment. By reviewing the currently av...

The battle for lives was being waged on two fronts in June 2020.  Black Americans were at once in the streets rallying against police brutality after the death of George Floyd, and also on the front lines of the COVID-1 pandemic - making up the majority of the essential workforce and also disproportionately contracting and dying from the virus compared to white Americans.  The fact that people of color are disproportionately affected by illness and disease is not specific to COVID-19.&...

On January 31, 2020, Health and Human Services Secretary, Alex M. Azar II, declared a public health emergency (PHE) for the United States to aid the nation’s healthcare community in responding to COVID-19. The outbreak of respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, COVID19, from Wuhan City, Hubei Province in China has caused high morbidity and mortality rates. The beginning of the outbreak was linked to a large seafood and live animal market, suggesting animal-to-person spread. Later, a...

African-Americans continue to be the least healthy ethnic group in the USA, indicative of years of racial and social injustice. Universal causes of sub-optimal racial disparities in healthcare require equally universal solutions. Positive trends in health disparities tend to be driven by social development programs, economic investment in education, and participation of ethnic groups in policy, reform, decision-making, and expansion of access to healthcare. It is important for providers to ident...