Investigation Finds Tiny Percentage Of Doctors Spread Covid Misinfo
An investigation into U.S. doctors who spread medical misinformation during the pandemic found perhaps as few as 52 were involved. Meanwhile, data show covid hospitalizations accelerating for the fourth week in a row. Also: A study found benefits from getting covid shots, boosters in the same arm.
USA Today:
Medical Misinformation: 52 Doctors Misled Public During The Pandemic
"This was actually comforting to see that they didn't find more," said Dominique Brossard, chair of the department of Life Sciences Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who was not involved in the new study but studies medical misinformation. Roughly 1 million Americans hold medical licenses in the United States, so 52 is a tiny fraction of the total. (Weintraub, 8/15)
More on the spread of covid —
CBS News:
COVID Hospitalizations Accelerate For Fourth Straight Week
A total of 10,320 patients in the U.S. were newly hospitalized with COVID-19 for the week ending August 5, according to the figures published Monday, an increase of 14.3% from the week before. Levels remain far below the summer peak that strained hospitals at this time last year, when 42,813 admissions were reported for the week of August 6, 2022. (Tin, 8/15)
CIDRAP:
COVID Shots In Same Arm May Elicit Better Immune Response
Sequential vaccines, like those used for COVID-19, may elicit a greater immune response if the recipient has the same arm injected, called ipsilateral vaccination, as opposed to contralateral vaccination, in which the primary vaccination is delivered in one arm and booster dose is delivered to the opposite. The research is published in EBioMedicine. (Soucheray, 8/15)
U.S. News & World Report:
Who's Got COVID? Dogs Can Quickly Tell
Dogs are so good at it, according to a new research review, that they may be ready for mainstream medical use if people didn’t consider this a curiosity rather than a real possibility. (Murez, 8/16)
CIDRAP:
New Standard On Cutting Risk Of Infectious Aerosol Spread Sets High Bar For Building Ventilation But Is Work In Progress
The first-ever ASHRAE standard on reducing the risk of indoor infectious aerosol transmission sets new targets for building operators in terms of air system design, installation, operation, and maintenance. But both ASHRAE and other experts acknowledge that buildings have not been designed to reduce disease transmission—only to heat, dehumidify, and cool incoming outdoor air and address off-gassing of volatile organic compounds such as those in building materials through mixing—so compliance may require some heavy lifting. (Van Beusekom, 8/15)
