Some physicians who work with long COVID-19 patients — those who experience persistent or new symptoms months after their initial bout with the virus — are seeing patients with tremors and vibrating sensations, The Wall Street Journal reported Dec. 21. 

Healthcare leaders are bringing renewed attention to patient safety issues that have been overshadowed by another year of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

From Sept. 17-24, nine patients in Arkansas had mucormycosis, a sometimes fatal fungal infection, following a COVID-19 diagnosis, the CDC reported Dec. 16.

From June to September 2021, fully vaccinated people with breakthrough COVID-19 accounted for 15 percent of all U.S. COVID-19 hospitalizations, according to data from Peterson's and Kaiser Family Foundation's Health System Tracker. 

The four most common symptoms of the omicron variant are cough, fatigue, congestion and runny nose, according to a CDC analysis of the first 43 cases investigated in the U.S. 

After the delta variant fueled a surge in COVID-19 infections this summer, many physicians were bracing for a spike in cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, or MIS-C. However, unlike after past surges, no such spike has occurred, NBC News reported Dec. 13. 

The American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation shared guidance for clinicians treating patients experiencing lingering breathing discomfort or cognitive symptoms after recovering from COVID-19, a condition known as long COVID-19. 

Preliminary real-world data from South Africa suggests the omicron variant is more resistant to Pfizer's vaccine but causes less severe infections, The Washington Post reported Dec. 14. 

Surgeons at New York City-based NYU Langone Health implanted a kidney from a genetically engineered pig into a brain-dead patient for the second time on Nov. 22. 

Disproven conceptions of race may affect clinical decision-making and treatment in several ways and have implications on patient safety and outcomes, according to a Dec. 9 Kaiser Family Foundation report.

Among hospitalized COVID-19 patients, the use of high-flow oxygen through a nasal cannula reduced the need for invasive mechanical ventilation and sped up recovery compared to conventional oxygen therapy, according to research published Dec. 7 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. 

The coronavirus can directly infect fat cells, offering potential clues as to why people who are overweight and obese face higher risks of severe illness and death from COVID-19, according to research reported by The New York Times Dec. 8. 

Cleveland Clinic researchers found sildenafil, which goes by the name brand Viagra, is associated with a 69 percent reduced likelihood of developing Alzheimer's, according to findings published Dec. 6 in Nature Aging.

As part of a comprehensive plan to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity in the U.S., the White House is urging all states to provide postpartum coverage for one year through their Medicaid programs. 

Dozens of staff have filed complaints at the Oregon State Hospital, expressing deep frustrations and calling for a change to the culture, Oregonlive reported Dec. 4. 

New data from South Africa suggests the omicron COVID-19 variant may cause less severe infections than delta, though more research is needed to confirm this finding.  

While administering monoclonal antibodies via intravenous infusion is standard practice to prevent severe hospitalization and death in outpatients with COVID-19, new research from UPMC shows giving the drug via four injections under the skin may be just as effective.

Amid an existing nursing workforce shortage exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, many hospitals and health systems have turned to travel nurse agencies to supplement the loss of full-time RNs. 

Morgantown, W.Va.-based Mon Health System will be one of the first healthcare organizations in the state to transition from emergency codes to plain language alerts Dec. 1.

COVID-19 patients now account for about 1 in 10 U.S. lung transplants, according to data from the United Network for Organ Sharing, as cited by NPR.