Author: Dorron Blumberg

 

March 16 2020 – A Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating an investigational vaccine designed to protect against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has begun at Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute (KPWHRI) in Seattle. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, is funding the trial. KPWHRI is part of NIAID’s Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Consortium. The open-label trial will enroll 45 healthy adult volunteers ages 18 to 55 years over approximately 6 weeks. The first participant received the investigational vaccine today.
 

March 13, 2020 – Florida Blue, the state’s leading health insurer, is offering a free bilingual helpline to assist all Floridians with the stress and anxiety they may feel during the COVID-19 health crisis. 

 

The toll-free helpline, a partnership with New Directions Behavioral Health, connects individuals with specially trained behavioral health counselors who can assist anyone experiencing feelings of stress, anxiety, trauma and grief due to the health crisis. 

 

 

March 13, 2020 – The interventional cardiology team at Holy Cross Hospital can now treat patients with significant mitral regurgitation, or a leaky heart valve, using Abbott’s minimally invasive MitraClip™ device.