Leveraging Black pharmacists to promote equity in COVID-19 vaccine uptake within Black communities: A framework for researchers and clinicians.

Black Americans are disproportionately represented among coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related morbidities and mortalities. While the COVID-19 vaccines are positioned to change this disparity, vaccine hesitancy, attributed to decades of systemic racism and mistreatment by the United States health care system, heavily exists among this racially and ethnically minoritized group. In addition, social determinants of health within Black communities including the lack of health care access and inequitable COVID-19 vaccine allocation, further impacts vaccine uptake.

Effects of Tocilizumab in COVID-19 patients: a cohort study.

Background: Due to the lack of proven therapies, we evaluated the effects of early administration of tocilizumab for COVID-19. By inhibition of the IL-6 receptor, tocilizumab may help to mitigate the hyperinflammatory response associated with progressive respiratory failure from SARS-CoV-2.

Methods: A retrospective, observational study was conducted on hospitalized adults who received intravenous tocilizumab for COVID-19 between March 23, 2020 and April 10, 2020.

Development of a Standardized Data Collection Tool for Evaluation and Management of Coronavirus Disease 2019.

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 ) is responsible for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a disease that had not been previously described and for which clinicians need to rapidly adapt their daily practice. The novelty of SARS-CoV-2 produced significant gaps in harmonization of definitions, data collection, and outcome reporting to identify patients who would benefit from potential interventions.

Methods: We describe a multicenter collaboration to develop a comprehensive data collection tool for the evaluation and management of COVID-19 in hospitalized patients.

Development and Implementation of a COVID-19 Disease Response Protocol at a Large Academic Medical Center.

In response to the rapid spread of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), health-care systems should establish procedures for early recognition and management of suspected or confirmed cases. We describe the various steps taken for the development, implementation, and dissemination of the interdisciplinary COVID-19 protocol at Jackson Health System (JHS), a complex tertiary academic health system in Miami, Florida. Recognizing the dynamic nature of COVID-19, the protocol addresses the potential investigational treatment options and considerations for special populations.

Antibiotic Discontinuation Rates Associated with Positive Respiratory Viral Panel and Low Procalcitonin Results in Proven or Suspected Respiratory Infections.

Introduction: The differentiation of viral from bacterial pneumonia is important in determining whether antibiotics are appropriate for treatment of these infections. Advances in diagnostic technologies such as respiratory panels (RP) utilizing polymerase chain reactions to detect viruses and determination of procalcitonin (PCT) concentrations may aid in this differentiation. However, some studies have shown limited impact for this purpose and thus continuation of antibiotics despite results suggesting viral infection.