Iowa news
29% of new COVID cases in Iowa are kids
A growing number of children are contracting the coronavirus, new state data shows. Of Iowa’s 11,723 new positive cases over the last week, 29% are age 17 and under. Another 17% were young adults, aged 18-29. The rate of new positive cases each day is continuing to increase. Last week, Iowa reported 8,404 new cases over a seven-day period last week and 8,308 the week before. (Ottumwa Courier)
Amid rising COVID-19 hospitalizations, nurses face increasing risk of burnout
Bridget Otto has been dreading watching her hospital COVID-19 unit fill up once again. Otto is a nurse in the Medical Intensive Care Unit at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. She has been working directly with COVID-19 patients for almost a year and a half. But with the vaccine now widely available, the newest wave has been different — and more difficult. Her patients are now younger and sicker, she said. Almost always, they’re unvaccinated. (WOSU)
Tippie professor adapts economic model to understand vaccine hesitancy
A professor in the University of Iowa Tippie College of Business adapted an economic model of decision-making to better understand COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. UI Associate Professor Richard Peter and his co-author, Professor Christophe Courbage of the Geneva School of Business Administration, have altered the economic-based model to incorporate factors related to hesitancy over the COVID-19 vaccination process. (Daily Iowan)
National news
US buys more than $3.5B worth of antibody drugs from Regeneron, Eli Lilly
The US recently made two large deals with Regeneron and Eli Lilly to secure millions of additional doses of COVID-19 antibody drugs, as COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to rise in many parts of the country. On Sept. 14, the US signed an agreement for 1.4 million doses of Regeneron’s COVID-19 antibody cocktail, a combination of casirivimab and imdevimab. The deal brought the total number of Regeneron COVID-19 antibody doses purchased by the US government to nearly three million. (Becker’s Hospital Review)
New CMS rule requires hospitals, not vendors, to do annual safety self-checks: 5 details
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently updated regulations for its Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program to require eligible hospitals to complete an annual self-assessment of their electronic health records using safety guidelines sponsored by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. (Becker’s Health IT)
New front in climate fight: Hospital operating rooms
Nationally, the health care system accounts for nearly 10% of domestic greenhouse gas emissions, according to a 2016 study published in PLOS One. So, for the many hospitals now looking to rein in their contributions, reexamining anesthetic gases has proven a crucial step. (E&E News)