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Feds promise to trim backlog of health care investigations
Read full article: Feds promise to trim backlog of health care investigationsFederal officials say they’re working to cut down on a growing backlog of complaints lodged against health care providers and government agencies by patients who claim their civil rights or privacy have been violated.
US hospitals letting COVID-infected staff stay on the job
Read full article: US hospitals letting COVID-infected staff stay on the jobHospitals around the U.S. are increasingly taking the extraordinary step of allowing nurses and other workers infected with the coronavirus to stay on the job if they have mild symptoms or none at all.
U.K. gov't advisers recommend against 4th vaccine dose
Read full article: U.K. gov't advisers recommend against 4th vaccine doseU.K. government advisers have recommended against giving a fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine to nursing home residents and people over 80 because data shows that a third shot offers lasting protection against admission to the hospital.
France announces soft new virus restrictions in Paris region
Read full article: France announces soft new virus restrictions in Paris regionInstead, the prime minister announced a patchwork of new restrictions while reducing the national curfew by one hour. Prime Minister Jean Castex announced the new rules, which will take effect as of midnight Friday and last for at least four weeks. The Paris region has an infection rate of 446 out of 100,000 inhabitants — up more than 23% in a week — Castex said, and intensive care units are close to saturation. The north, the Paris region and several others are now being targeted, but with a mix of carrot and stick measures. The U.K. virus variant accounts for most infections, and around 250 people are dying each day from the virus.
Portugal's relief at falling COVID-19 cases tempered by fear
Read full article: Portugal's relief at falling COVID-19 cases tempered by fearNurses tend to a patient in a COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit at the Curry Cabral hospital in Lisbon, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021. The number of COVID-19 patients in hospital and in intensive care fell Thursday for the third straight day. The health ministry reported the fewest hospitalizations since Jan. 20 and the fewest patients in ICUs for almost two weeks. The number of COVID-19 patients in hospital and in intensive care fell Thursday for the third straight day. But Germano isn’t expecting any immediate relief at the intensive care unit he heads, where 25 patients are in care.
Portugal extends its virus lockdown as firefighters get jabs
Read full article: Portugal extends its virus lockdown as firefighters get jabsA doctor performs an ultrasound scan on a patient in a COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit at the Curry Cabral hospital in Lisbon, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021. A January surge of cases in Portugal has ebbed amid a lockdown, but deaths and pressure on hospitals remain high. The seven-day average of daily deaths in Portugal is the highest in the world, at 2.05 per 100,000 people, according to Johns Hopkins University. Also Thursday, Portugal started inoculating firefighters against COVID-19, as the January surge of cases ebbed but deaths and pressure on hospitals remained high. Portuguese firefighters, who number about 15,000, commonly operate ambulances, and they are to be vaccinated over a two-week period.
St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor receives COVID-19 vaccines, begins vaccinations
Read full article: St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor receives COVID-19 vaccines, begins vaccinationsA healthcare worker at St. Joe's Ann Arbor holds up a sticker that says "I Got Vaccinated" as COVID-19 vaccinations get underway. ANN ARBOR – The first shipment of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine arrived at four hospitals within the Mercy Health and Saint Joseph Mercy Health System on Thursday, including St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor, St. Joseph Mercy Oakland and Mercy Health Saint Mary’s in Grand Rapids and Mercy Health Muskegon. Mercy Health Muskegon received 1,950 doses while the other three hospitals received 975. All hospitals within Trinity Health Michigan have ultra-cold freezers capable of storing the vaccines. For more information about the COVID-19 vaccine, visit www.stjoeshealth.org/vaccine.