Massachusetts General Hospital

The surge in patients at Massachusetts hospitals is leading some to tighten their visitor policies. Mass General Brigham updated its rules Wednesday as the omicron variant of COVID-19 spreads and hospitalizations rise. “We’re trying to limit overcrowding in public spaces and in patient care spaces,” said Dr. Tom Sequist, Mass General Brigham’s chief medical officer. All of the facilities...

A recent CDC study of COVID reinfections looked at 1,572 patients. Forty became reinfected, for a rate of 2.5%.

Freezing rain Christmas morning has made for treacherous conditions on roadways across Massachusetts. Nearly 700 pieces of Department of Transportation equipment were deployed across Massachusetts roadways Saturday to help deal with the ice and snow. Meanwhile, numerous crashes were reported in New Hampshire as well on Christmas morning. At the Newton Service Plaza, driver Linda Bento said she saw cars…

Dr. Sandy Nelson, an infectious disease expert at Mass. General Hospital, talks about the rise in COVID cases ahead of Christmas, and what we can all do to keep safe.

Gov. Charlie Baker has ordered Massachusetts hospitals with bed shortages to stop non-urgent procedures this week. “Mass General and the Brigham are running most days over 95% capacity. The state is trying to get us to 85% capacity to have that extra elasticity for additional patients, but that is a really big reach for us,” said Dr. Ron Walls, chief…

A group of hospital workers lost a legal bid against Mass General Brigham’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement on the day unvaccinated employees face unpaid leave. The lawsuit against the hospital system sought an injunction against the mandate that employees must be vaccinated against coronavirus. Eight employees named in the suit said they should be exempt for religious and medical reasons....

In a lawsuit filed against the Mass General Brigham hospital system, eight hospital workers say they’re against receiving the COVID-19 vaccine and shouldn’t be forced into it because they have exemptions based on religion and disabilities. They argue they should be accommodated and they should not be retaliated against. “The history of vaccine mandates by employers has been rather...

Hospitals and clinics are near a breaking point yet again, and COVID-19 isn’t the only factor. There are more and more people landing in urgent and emergency care and not enough medical staff to handle it, experts at major hospitals across Massachusetts said. “It’s a tough situation for all of us,” said Dr. Peter Dunn, vice-president of procedural services...

Jackie Bruno sat down with Dr. Shuhan He of Massachusetts General Hospital, who is studying the benefits of emojis at the doctor’s office.

The chair of Massachusetts General Hospital’s emergency medicine department has been named president, the hospital announced Monday. Dr. David F. M. Brown will take over from longtime MGH President Dr. Peter Slavin on Sept. 18, parent company Mass General Brigham said in a statement. “At this moment of great change and opportunity, David’s deep and proven commitment to our academic...

A 32-year-old woman was injured in a fire in Framingham, Massachusetts Friday morning, according to officials.  The fire at 19 Brackett Road was contained to one room of the home, fire officials said.  The woman was brought to Massachusetts General Hospital with non life-threatening injuries, officials said. 

A new mask from researchers at Brigham and Women’s and Massachusetts General hospitals tweaks the surgical mask to make it more effective at preventing the spread of COVID.

When triple-digit temperatures combine with high humidity levels, heat exhaustion and heat stroke become of significant concern, experts say. An air quality alert has been issued for the ongoing intense heat wave, which happens when the air quality is predicted to become unhealthy for sensitive groups. Heat indices, which measure the combined impact of heat and humidity on the human…

Former Boston Mayor Ray Flynn was hospitalized and underwent a hip replacement surgery after a fall in South Boston this weekend, his family said Thursday.  Flynn fell on East 4th Street Saturday while walking with his wife, Catherine, the family’s statement said. The Boston Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services arrived to help and brought Flynn to Massachusetts General...

Massachusetts General Hospital is moving ahead with a $1.9 billion project consisting of two new towers to help care for its sickest patients. The two connected midrise towers along Cambridge Street in Boston would house 482 beds and new facilities to treat cardiac and cancer patients, The Boston Globe reported. After closing and renovating the hospital’s old clinical areas, MGH...

Massachusetts General Hospital President Peter Slavin announced Wednesday that he plans to step down from the institution after 18 years in the role, the latest executive to leave as the hospital’s parent organization, Mass General Brigham, continues its systemwide integration efforts. In an email, Slavin said he has reflected over the decision for months. “I have concluded there will never…

Dr. Gopi Mohan shares the hardest parts of treating children in the Pediatric ICU at Massachusetts General Hospital during the pandemic.

It’s a race against time to reach herd immunity in the United States, especially with the U.K. coronavirus variant spreading quickly here. One new study, not yet peer reviewed, shows it doubling every 10 days. Epidemiologists say it may be the dominant strain of the virus by March. But even more worrisome is the variant from South Africa, said...

Dr. Rochelle Walensky takes the helm of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at a time when the virus’ American death toll eclipsed 400,000, with 100,000 to come by the middle to end of February at the current pace.

Doctors at hospitals across Massachusetts and the globe believe the measures being taken to prevent the spread of coronavirus are responsible for a dip in cases of familiar viruses like the flu.