Statins and COVID-19: Effects of Treatment on Patient Outcomes
In an attempt to discover efficacious and safe treatments for COVID-19, the scientific community has been repurposing existing medications with proven track records. One of these established medication classes is statins – which have an excellent record as safe and affordable therapies. Ongoing research is examining the broader use of statins in COVID-19 patients with […]
Surge in Overdose-Related EMS Activations During Pandemic
At the beginning of the pandemic, the trends predicted by public health officials forecasted an increase in the proportion of individuals using substances alone, widespread toxification of the drug supply, and markedly reduced access to treatment, all of which could increase the lethality of overdose incidents. In addition, experts warned against the negative implications of […]
Myocarditis Rates Up in Vaccinated Male Adolescents
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other health agencies are investigating a potential link between the COVID-19 vaccine and myocarditis. The condition has been reported at higher-than-usual rates in 12- to 39-year-old males within one week of receiving the second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna mRNA vaccine. The U.S. Vaccine […]
How the Burden of Chronic Diseases and COVID-19 Create a Syndemic Environment
The emergence and overlap of the novel coronavirus with a continued global rise in chronic diseases – including persistently high rates of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease – as well as those driven by deteriorating environmental conditions have drastically exacerbated the COVID-19 death toll. While we are currently living in the midst of an unprecedented global […]
The Impact of Obesity on Pediatric COVID-19 Illness
Lockdowns imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic have had negative health implications for populations of all ages across the globe, resulting in an increase in cardiometabolic risk factors and decrease in mental health. Recent research points to the detrimental effect of the global pandemic on pediatric health, impacting dietary and sleep patterns as well as […]
8 Necessary Capabilities for a Sustained COVID-19 Response
The COVID-19 pandemic has destabilized economies, strained health care systems worldwide, and led to the implementation of aggressive disease mitigation strategies such as social distancing and shelter-in-place orders. As surges in infection rates rapidly overwhelm healthcare facility capacities and exacerbate death rates, an essential component of outbreak containment is a sustained response with efforts aimed […]
Medicare COVID-19 Telemedicine Fact Sheet for Cardiologists
Requiring an urgent shift to digital medical services, the current COVID-19 outbreak has disrupted the contemporary healthcare model forcing federal agencies to temporarily amend guidelines in an effort to ease the transition to telemedicine. Regulations continue to change and insurance coverage for medical services has greatly expanded to promote the growing use of digital healthcare […]
Cybersecurity Best Practices for Practitioners Using Telemedicine
As evidenced by recent changes within the healthcare system, the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has changed the standard practice of medicine, shifting the model of care into the digital space and encouraging telehealth solutions whenever possible. Although this has allowed for greater flexibility and the ability for many medical practices to continue conducting business, the […]
What Physicians Need to Know About The Novel Coronavirus
As of March 19, 2020, there have been over 10,500 cases of confirmed novel coronavirus in the United States resulting in a total of 158 deaths. Currently the number of infected individuals is relatively low in the U.S. compared with over 92,000 reported cases in mainland China since the first reported case in the country […]
