Today’s NewsStand

Today’s NewsStand

By Iowa Hospital Association|
|April 13, 2021

Iowa news

Health care workers more likely to get COVID-19 at home than at work, University of Iowa study suggests

Health care workers are more likely to develop COVID-19 if they’re exposed to the coronavirus at home than if the exposure happens on the job, a new University of Iowa study suggests. The study, published this week in the journal Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, tracked 1,749 University of Iowa health care workers who reported from June 10 to Nov. 30 that they’d had an exposure to the coronavirus. Exposures were defined as being in close contact, without a face covering, for at least 15 minutes with a person diagnosed with COVID-19. (Des Moines Register)

MercyOne, Iowa Donor Network highlight importance of being an organ donor

The importance of being an organ donor was on display Monday for National Donate Life Month. MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center partnered with Iowa Donor Network to hold their seventh annual Donate Life flag-raising ceremony. Nearly 107,000 people nationwide are on the waiting list to receive an organ transplant; 585 of those people are in Iowa. (KTIV)

Vaccine Outreach Efforts Remain Just Short In Iowa’s Latino Communities

Jennifer Juárez logged in to her computer at 6 pm last month. She wanted to watch a Facebook Live event with two doctors answering common questions about COVID-19 vaccines. They answered the questions in Spanish. “I think that those kinds of outreach projects are just really important for the community,” Juárez said. (Iowa Public Radio)

 

National news

Studies confirm racial, ethnic disparities in COVID-19 hospitalizations and visits

Days after declaring racism a serious public health threat, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a pair of studies further quantifying the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on communities of color. The studies, published Monday in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, examine trends in racial and ethnic disparities in hospitalizations and emergency room visits associated with COVID-19 in 2020. (National Public Radio)

US calls for pause on Johnson and Johnson vaccine after rare clotting cases

Federal health agencies on Tuesday called for an immediate pause in use of Johnson and Johnson’s single-dose coronavirus vaccine after six recipients in the US developed a rare disorder involving blood clots within about two weeks of vaccination. All six recipients were women between 18 and 48. One woman died and a second woman in Nebraska has been hospitalized in critical condition. (The New York Times)

Would you use an app to verify your vaccine status? The idea is here to stay

A political debate has erupted over the idea of requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination for entry into certain settings. While politicians argue over equity and privacy concerns, some businesses and institutions are moving ahead and developing apps for people to prove their status easily and securely. When students return to Cornell University for the fall semester, for example, they’ll be required to be vaccinated with exemptions for medical or religious reasons. (Iowa Public Radio)

Become a hospital advocate. Sign up for IHA Action Alerts.

Click here