Here are five COVID-19 updates for ASC leaders to know:
1. The U.S. has 90,481 people hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Nov. 26, according to The COVID Tracking Project, making it 17 straight days of record hospitalizations. The project predicts cases flattening, dropping and then spiking due to Thanksgiving gatherings.
2. The American Hospital Association, American College of Surgeons, American Society of Anesthesiologists and Association of periOperative Registered Nurses released new guidance for physicians and nurses to address surgery as hospitals move closer to bed and intensive care unit capacity due to COVID-19 volume spikes.
3. Most people in the U.S. haven’t contracted COVID-19 as of September, according to a JAMA Internal Medicine study published Nov. 24. Researchers estimated that antibody prevalence was between less than 1 percent and 23 percent depending on geographic location, according to 177,919 specimens from commercial labs taken from July 27 to Sept. 24.
4. President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team received the first official Operation Warp Speed briefing on Nov. 23. HHS Secretary Alex Azar said the agency will coordinate briefings with the Biden transition team to make sure they get the appropriate information.
5. President Donald Trump said COVID-19 vaccine deliveries could start next week during his Thanksgiving holiday message to the U.S. troops on Nov. 26. Front-line workers, medical personnel and senior citizens will have first access to the vaccine, according to a report from Fox News.
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At the Becker’s 32nd Annual Meeting: The Business and Operations of ASCs, taking place October 29-31 in Chicago, ASC leaders, surgeons and healthcare executives will explore strategies to drive growth, enhance operational performance, navigate reimbursement challenges and prepare for the future of ambulatory surgery. Apply for complimentary registration now.