What We're Reading: Shorter Social Distancing for Students; Amazon Telemedicine Initiative; Intravascular Ultrasound Catheter Recalled

New Study Suggests 3 Feet Social Distancing Sufficient for Students

Reported by The New York Times, a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Infectious Diseases suggests that in-person instruction for public schools is safe as long as children maintain 3 feet of social distancing, as opposed to the 6-feet rule, along with other preventive measures such as wearing masks. This comes amid reports that President Joe Biden will spend $10 billion in American Rescue Plan funds to states and some cities to screen school children for COVID-19 in an effort to reopen schools in the final months of the school year. The CDC will provide technical assistance to schools to set up and integrate the screening programs.

Amazon Announces Telemedicine Initiative

Amazon announced it will offer its Amazon Care telemedicine program to employers across the country, marking its first nationwide campaign in providing health care services. Reported by ABC News, the Amazon Care app works to connect users virtually with doctors, nurse practitioners, and nurses who can provide care over the phone 24 hours a day. Currently available to the company’s employees in Washington state, Amazon said it will expand the service to all its workers and to interested private employers by this summer.

Intravascular Ultrasound Catheter Recalled

ACIST Medical Systems announced it is recalling its ACIST Kodama Intravascular Ultrasound Catheter amid reports that the O-ring housing tube may squeeze and damage the O-ring, causing pieces of the O-ring to break free and flush into the patient’s artery during use. Identified by the FDA as a Class 1 recall, the most serious type of recall, the damaged O-ring was noted to potentially cause significant patient harm, including vessel blockage, heart attack, heart arrhythmia, or stroke, as well as chest pain or discomfort.