COVID-19 news from Annals of Internal Medicine

Below please find a summary and link(s) of new coronavirus-related content published today in Annals of Internal Medicine. The summary below is not intended to substitute for the full article as a source of information. A collection of coronavirus-related content is free to the public at http://go.annals.org/coronavirus.

1. Why N95 Should Be the Standard for All COVID-19 Inpatient Care

Guidelines differ in their guidance on the use of N95 respirators versus medical masks for frontline health care workers working with patients with COVID-19, particularly when aerosolized procedures are not involved. Authors from Providence-St. Jude Medical Center and Marshall B. Ketchum University College of Pharmacy make the case that the existing data do not show facemasks as equivalent in protection to N95 and are often misinterpreted. Authors suggest a reevaluation of this evidence and make the argument that N95 should be routinely used for inpatient COVID-19 care. Read the full text: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M20-2623.

Media contacts: A PDF for this article is not yet available. Please click the link to read full text. The lead author, Harry Peled, MD, can be reached directly through Dru Ann Copping at DruAnn.Copping@stjoe.org.

2. Worldwide Effect of COVID-19 on Physical Activity: A Descriptive Study

Physical activity is an important determinant of health and is likely affected by social distancing measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers from the University of California examine worldwide changes in step count before and after the announcement of COVID-19 as a global pandemic. They found that rapid worldwide step count decreases have been seen during COVID-19, with regional variability, and that regional step count trends may reflect adherence to social distancing measures. Read the full text: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M20-2665.

Media contacts: A PDF for this article is not yet available. Please click the link to read full text. The lead author, Geoffrey H. Tison, MD, MPH, can be reached through Katherine at katherine.ramsey@ucsf.edu.

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