Medical Personnel

Studies spotlight burnout, online harassment of health workers during COVID-19 CIDRAP

Two new studies illustrate the mental toll COVID-19 took on healthcare workers (HCWs), with the first documenting high rates of burnout among HCWs and the second describing harassment on social media platforms suffered by physicians and scientists during the pandemic.

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The White House was expected to disband its coronavirus response team after the Covid-19 public health emergency ended on May 11. A senior administration official previously told CNN that while the team would be disbanded, fighting Covid-19 remained an administration priority, and that “transitioning out of the emergency phase is the natural evolution of the Covid response.”

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Night shift work, binge drinking linked to increased COVID risk in nurses About 25% of 750 survey respondents met the criteria for alcohol misuse, with 5% classified as binge drinkers. CIDRAP

Working the night shift or binge drinking may double the risk of COVID-19 infection, according to a study of nurses published this week in Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research. Poor sleep quality and binge drinking have been associated with COVID-19 infections, likely because both promote a pro-inflammatory state.