Healthcare

• [New] Facebook's blackout of Australian news sites, and health and public safety information pages, will create further distance and disadvantage for some of the most vulnerable Australians.
• [New] The first AstraZeneca vaccines are to be administered to 289,000 people, while about 55,000 healthcare workers in coronavirus treatment facilities will receive first batch of the vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE supplied through the COVAX global vaccine-sharing programme.
• [New] A recent example of a project implemented was the successful deployment of a first-of-its-kind Clinical Command Centre solution with East Metropolitan Health Service in Australia to improve patient care and proactively detect the risk of patient deterioration.
• [New] Compared with all other racial groups, Native Americans are at greater risk of suffering from psychological distress and poorer overall health.
• [New] Health Canada decided Friday to authorize the AstraZeneca vaccine and the first half million doses of it will be shipped to Canada next week.
• [New] Some kind of independent global health authority would be the ideal platform for compiling medical data, monitoring potential hazards, raising alarms and directing research and development.
• [New] Over the next few weeks, Walmart plans to hold COVID-19 vaccination events at 43 locations in 18 states, particularly in communities with limited access to health care services.
• [New] 5G could allow the healthcare sector to provide improved access to healthcare services for up to 1 billion patients by 2030 while simultaneously reducing emissions through higher asset utilisation.
• [New] The current infection prevention and control (IPC) guidance, which determines the selection and use of PPE across the UK, does not accurately depict the airborne risks when sharing health and care settings including working in patients' homes and public buildings.
• [New] UK guidance on personal protective equipment is inadequate and continues to put healthcare workers' lives at risk from airborne transmission of Covid-19, health and union organisations have warned.
• [New] Improving healthcare price transparency could reduce U.S. spending by $8.7 billion to $26.6 billion per year while increasing competition could reduce spending by $6.2 billion to $68.9 billion annually.
• [New] The Digital Travel Health Pass will integrate modules from the IATA Travel Pass that enable passengers to create a digital passport, verify their test / vaccination requirements and status, and share their OK to Travel status with the relevant authorities.
• [New] Primary care providers will help staff vaccination sites and will eventually be able to offer shots at their own clinics once additional vaccines are approved for use by Health Canada.
• [New] As the global health crisis erupted, digital channels created an expectation of seamless engagement - an expectation that new products and services will be readily adaptable to new conditions.
• [New] There is going to be a Data Strategy for Health and Social Care which will set the direction for the use of data in a post-pandemic healthcare system.
• [New] Enact Medicare for All, which will address racial and other disparities in health care and provide comprehensive care to everyone in America, regardless of immigration status.
• [New] In Connecticut, health authorities say they will now administer COVID -19 vaccines based solely on age, eliminating priority status for most essential workers, with residents 55 and older and teachers prioritized.
• [New] Ground-breaking cardiac research by Austin Health clinicians could improve the long-term survival rate for hundreds of thousands of patients undergoing coronary bypass surgery around the world each year by as much as 20%.
• [New] Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus has the potential to emerge in areas where competent vectors are present and become a major risk to public health.
• [New] 5G could allow the healthcare sector to provide improved access to healthcare services for up to 1 billion patients by 2030 while simultaneously reducing emissions through higher asset utilization.
• [New] While millions of Americans are sheltering at home to protect public health, essential workers continue to report to work at increased risk to themselves and their families.
• [New] 5G network infrastructure will be a key asset to support societal transformation in Europe, enabling the Fourth Industrial Revolution and impacting multiple industries, such as automotive, healthcare, utilities, and agriculture.
• [New] Fitbit is equipping some 1,000 NASA employees with wearables as part of a pilot program which requires a daily log - in using various health metrics which will be tracked by the space agency.

Last updated: 28 February 2021