Clinicians are warning about a viral social media challenge on TikTok that encourages people to take excess doses of Benadryl to get high or hallucinate.

Surges in COVID-19 patient volume place significant physical and emotional demands on clinicians, which can lead to an onslaught of preventable medication errors, according to the Institute for Safe Medication Practices.

The U.S. has reported an average of 42,214 COVID-19 cases daily in the past week, down 13 percent from the average seen two weeks ago, reports The New York Times. 

There is no data from well-controlled, randomized clinical trials that demonstrate the efficacy and safety of convalescent plasma for treating COVID-19, according to a statement issued Sept. 1 by the National Institutes of Health, which undercuts the FDA's emergency use authorization.

A Connecticut nurse who allegedly went to work knowing she may have been exposed to the coronavirus and then worked without a mask may face a criminal probe, according to the Hartford Courant.

Renton, Wash.-based Providence health system is investing $50 million over the next five years to reduce racial disparities in healthcare, officials announced Sept. 1. 

In August, Becker's asked several infection control leaders and epidemiologists: "At this time next year, what aspects of daily life will have returned to normal? What aspects of our society will be forever changed by the pandemic?"

Hospital admissions for stroke and ministroke in the U.S. fell by nearly one-third between March and April compared to the same period last year, a new study shows.

Hundreds gathered in Boston this week to protest Massachusetts' new rule making the influenza vaccine mandatory for all students, CBS Boston reports.

A study assessing the effectiveness of various face coverings, including bandanas and neck gaiters, captured Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control readers' attention the most in August.

More than 6 million people in the U.S. have contracted COVID-19 as of Sept. 1, with the nation reporting an average of 41,492 cases daily over the past week, according to The New York Times. 

A patient at North Suburban Medical Center died in May after staff members failed to change the battery on the individual's pulse oximeter in a timely manner, according to a state inspection report cited by The Denver Post.

Sinai Health System and DePaul University, both based in Chicago, will create a research institute to address health and social inequities in the city, the institutions announced Aug. 31. 

Three separate lawsuits have been filed against the Villages of Lapeer (Mich.) Nursing & Rehabilitation, claiming the facility's actions amounted to gross negligence and egregious circumstances, USA Today reports.

Trends in antibiotic use during the pandemic vary by state, two new studies show.

COVID-19-like illness and the percentage of positive tests fell in six of 10 HHS surveillance regions in the week ending Aug. 22. However, two regions saw an increase in positive tests, and two reported a jump in outpatient visits for flu-like symptoms, according to the CDC's weekly COVIDView report. 

COVID-19 cases in the U.S. are set to soon surpass 6 million, with 5,997,861 known infections as of 8:45 CDT Aug. 31.

The U.S. will implement a new version of an infectious disease surveillance program that expired last fall, just months before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, reports The New York Times.

A public health lab in Nevada has reported the nation's first known COVID-19 reinfection and the world's first known reinfection with severe symptoms, The New York Times reports.

White Americans still have better mortality rates and life expectancy during the pandemic than Black Americans do during years without a global health crisis, according new research cited by NPR.