Double-masking reduces transmission

Hello,

Today in healthcare news: The CDC outlines the benefits of double-masking, WHO experts recommend AstraZeneca's shot for all adults, and the pandemic's toll on travel nurses.

CDC: Double masks and tightly fitted single masks can reduce COVID-19 transmission by up to 96.4%

• Double masking has become a trend, but until now there hasn't been much evidence it works.
• A CDC study suggests popping a cloth mask over a surgical one can improve protection about 50%.
• There are plenty of other low-tech strategies that can improve the performance of your mask, too.

Read the full story from Hilary Brueck here>>

WHO experts recommend giving AstraZeneca and Oxford University's coronavirus vaccine to people 18 and older, even in places where variants are spreading

• A World Health Organization expert panel recommended Wednesday the AstraZeneca-University of Oxford coronavirus vaccine can be given to over 18 year-olds.
• The vaccine is authorized for emergency use in the UK, the EU, and several other countries, but not the US.
• It's easier to transport and store than other existing coronavirus vaccines.

Read the full story from Dr. Catherine Schuster-Bruce here>>

The pandemic made travel nurses the frontline heroes fighting the virus, but the work has taken a heavy toll

• Travel nurses are in high demand in the US as COVID-19 cases surge and hospitals are overwhelmed.
• Unlike early waves of the outbreak, staffing agencies say demand goes beyond just a few hotspots.
• Nurses tell Insider they're burnt out and are unsure how long they can stay on the frontlines.

Read the full story from Sarah Al-Arshani here>>

More stories we're reading:

• About 1 in 10 Americans have received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine (Insider)
• A Maine hospital brought in anti-union consultants from out of state and vaccinated them (Huffington Post)
• Japan says it has to throw away millions of Pfizer COVID-19 shots because it doesn't have enough syringes to extract them (Insider)
• About 90 people were hospitalized for COVID-19 like symptoms in central China from October to December 2019 (The Wall Street Journal)

- Lydia