Video: Massachusetts doctor reacts to CDC’s update to recommended COVID-19 quarantine period
The CDC is shortening the recommended time for isolation for asymptomatic people with COVID-19 to from 10 days to 5 days. Robin Colgrove, MD, of Mount Auburn Hospital, discussed the CDC’s update to the isolation guidance. (WCVB, December 27, 2021)
Omicron may be on your next flight. Here’s how to protect yourself.
As the Omicron variant surges, holiday travel is still underway. Lin Chen, MD, of Mount Auburn Hospital, was among the experts sharing some of the steps airplane passengers can take to travel more responsibly, including what types of masks may be best. (Washington Post, December 22, 2021)
PCR or rapid antigen? Here’s how to use COVID tests to gather safely for the holidays
With a new surge of COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts, both molecular and antigen tests are useful tools to stay safe this holiday season. But when is the best time to use each test, and how can they help us gather safely with friends and family? Brian Hollenbeck, MD, of New England Baptist Hospital, said rapid tests can be helpful when you want an immediate answer, but they should be followed up with a PCR test for confirmation if you are symptomatic or may have been exposed to COVID-19. (Boston Globe, December 22, 2021)
Omicron is now dominant in Mass. We asked experts if the recent COVID surge has changed their holiday plans
For people hoping to spend their holiday with friends and family, infectious disease experts – including Robin Colgrove, MD, of Mount Auburn Hospital, and Brian Hollenbeck, MD, of New England Baptist Hospital – shared precautions they’re taking this season, whether the rise of Omicron has changed their plans, and what advice they have for holiday gatherings. (Boston Globe, December 22, 2021)
Video: How much do COVID-19 boosters protect against omicron variant?
Robert Duncan, MD, MPH, of Lahey Hospital and Medical Center, answered WCVB viewers’ questions about COVID-19 and vaccines, including boosters, and said the “bottom line” is that booster shots help. (WCVB, December 20, 2021)
Treating long COVID: BIDMC physicians contribute to first-of-its-kind published clinical guidance
The American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation released consensus statements with practical guidance for treating patients suffering from breathing discomfort or cognitive symptoms, two common symptoms of long COVID. (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, December 16, 2021)
414 days at work, zero days off: Dan Barouch and the race to develop the Johnson & Johnson vaccine
The Boston Globe profiles Dan Barouch, MD, PhD, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and his work during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the development of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, and his research on the Provincetown outbreak and the emerging Omicron variant. (Boston Globe, December 15, 2021)
On the frontlines: Lessons in critical care nursing from the COVID-19 pandemic
Nurse-researchers share strategies for expanding capacity and staffing to care for influx of critically-ill patients during first COVID-19 surge. (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, November 29, 2021)
Asking a doctor: What’s the COVID-19 risk for Thanksgiving gatherings?
Robin Colgrove, MD, of Mount Auburn Hospital, answered questions about the rising number of COVID-19 cases across the US, including Massachusetts, and what it could mean for Thanksgiving gatherings. (WCVB, November 15, 2021)
‘This is a disaster’: Hospitals strain with more patients, fewer employees
Health systems are struggling with capacity challenges, but most patients visiting the hospitals today don’t have COVID-19; they are sicker from delaying care over the past 20 months. Richard Nesto, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Beth Israel Lahey Health, shared examples of why the hospitals are strained and how hospital leaders are using capacity at any of its 13 hospitals and urgent care centers through the system to accommodate demand. (Boston Business Journal, November 9, 2021)
Mass. doctor on lifting travel restrictions
Robert Duncan, MD, MPH, of Lahey Hospital and Medical Center, answered questions about lifting some travel restrictions and said requiring full vaccination or negative test from travelers, along with mask requirements and other safety measures in place, make uplifting travel restrictions reasonable. (WCVB, November 8, 2021)
March Madness: Researcher sees temporary increase in COVID-19 cases in counties where universities played in NCAA Tournament
An analysis published in JAMA Network Open shows a link between large gatherings of unvaccinated county residents – both students and non-students – and an increase in COVID-19 infections in the event’s community. (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, October 25, 2021)