COVID

July 26, 2021

VUMC, NIH launch clinical trial to test novel therapies to protect host tissue against COVID-19

Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers, supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), are leading a nationwide clinical trial to explore the safety and effectiveness of a group of novel drugs designed to protect patients hospitalized with COVID-19 at high risk of poor outcomes.

By Craig Boerner
July 22, 2021

Influenza network sizes up COVID

Hospital data from a CDC network that monitors influenza revealed that adults hospitalized for COVID-19 in the early months of the pandemic were 20x more likely to die compared to hospitalized influenza patients.

By Paul Govern
July 19, 2021

Update on COVID-19 for VUMC workforce: what you need to know

COVID-19 is still very much part of our daily lives, and infection rates are on the increase in the community. VUMC continues to effectively manage COVID-19, and outpatient and inpatient volumes are back to pre-COVID levels.

By VUMC News and Communications
July 19, 2021

Statement from VUMC: COVID-19 vaccination continues to be the way forward

Last week, Vanderbilt University Medical Center announced that COVID-19 vaccinations for leaders will become mandatory. This was a carefully considered step forward in VUMC’s ongoing efforts to protect its patients and employees from the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its variants.

By VUMC News and Communications
July 9, 2021

The nurse was afraid her patient would die. She wrote her experience in a story that was shared by NPR.

Sue Perron, a Vanderbilt intensive care nurse, told the story of the patient with COVID she called the Butterfly Man

By Wayne Wood
July 8, 2021

Study finds genetic risk factors for severe COVID-19 illness

A massive worldwide collaboration including researchers from Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) has identified several genetic factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe COVID-19 illness.

By Bill Snyder
June 23, 2021

Pediatricians see spike in RSV cases, urge parents to be on lookout for symptoms

“We are seeing a spike in respiratory illnesses, especially RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) and parainfluenza, which cause croup and bronchiolitis in young children and flu-like symptoms in older children and adults,” said James Antoon, MD, PhD, FAAP, assistant professor of Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.
By Jessica Pasley
June 22, 2021

Combination antibody therapies should retain effectiveness against emerging COVID-19 variants: study

Five monoclonal antibody “cocktails,” including one developed at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), are protective in animal studies against several variant strains of COVID-19, according to a report this week in the journal Nature.
By Bill Snyder
June 17, 2021

COVID-19 complication underdiagnosed

A mysterious inflammatory syndrome linked to COVID-19 infection and first identified in children also occurs in adults, Vanderbilt researchers report.
By VUMC News and Communications
June 17, 2021

Community hospitals shine in vaccine distribution

Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s community hospitals — Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital (VWCH), Vanderbilt Bedford Hospital and Vanderbilt Tullahoma-Harton Hospital — have risen to the occasion to meet critical vaccination needs across Tennessee.
By Emily Stembridge
June 14, 2021

Opening a new patient care unit requires months of planning. Devin Bunch helped open the COVID-19 ICU in just a matter of days.

“Whatever it is, we roll up our sleeves and do what’s best for our patients.”
By Nancy Humphrey
June 9, 2021

VUMC’s Alex Jahangir became Nashville’s coronavirus czar, all while never missing a beat in his day job.

“He has served VUMC and our community as the coronavirus czar selflessly and voluntarily while not decreasing by one clinic visit or call night his load or work productivity.”
June 9, 2021

COVID-19 pandemic brought changes in cigarette smoking: study

Smokers who believed they were at increased risk of getting COVID-19 during the pandemic, or having a more severe case, were more likely to quit while those whoperceived more stress increased smoking, according to new research published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
By Craig Boerner