Rewards haven’t provided big boost for Nevada COVID-19 vaccinations
Gov. Steve Sisolak’s offer of a chance to win a million-dollar prize hasn’t resulted in a noticeable uptick in COVID-19 vaccinations in Nevada, at least not so far.
The INFORMS Analytics+ Conference showcased how companies are turning advanced analytics and AI into measurable operational results
In most emergency departments, beds are a hot commodity. But some patients don’t actually need a bed for their treatment – and accurately identifying those people is a low-lift but effective way to increase efficiency without sacrificing care quality, finds a study recently published in the journal Management Science.
The researchers developed a simple decision tree, informed by mathematical and machine learning models, to help staff decide whether a patient truly needs a bed or can be routed to a “vertical processing pathway” – that is, an area where they can be treated sitting up. Many hospitals already have such an area but don’t necessarily have a systematic way to decide which patients are treated there.
American teenagers start their school day too early.
Medical experts have been clear for years: sleep cycle changes during puberty make it hard for teenagers to learn in the early morning. Later school start times have been linked to better sleep, improved mental health, stronger academic performance and even safer driving.
Most school district leaders know about this problem and care about fixing it. But changing the schedule can feel operationally impossible.
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Gov. Steve Sisolak’s offer of a chance to win a million-dollar prize hasn’t resulted in a noticeable uptick in COVID-19 vaccinations in Nevada, at least not so far.
On Thursday, President Joe Biden beseeched Americans to meet his deadline of having 70 percent of American adults partly or fully vaccinated against the coronavirus by July 4. In a speech, he asked Americans to "knock on doors and talk to friends and neighbors" about getting vaccinated so that the country can reach the much-touted 70 percent threshold — which, public health experts say, marks the point at which the novel coronavirus will slow down and eventually cease in its spread.
When an N95 respirator shortage left hospitals scrambling in 2020, U.S. manufacturers stepped in. Now, those companies are facing bankruptcies and layoffs as Chinese-made masks flood the market again.
The vaccine rollout effort has disrupted the medicine supply chain. Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is now reporting shortages of birth control after the company reorganized its priorities to producing COVID-19 shots.
On May 27, the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization met virtually to discuss global COVID-19 vaccine distribution and inequity. Talha Burki reports.

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