Health in a Hurry: The Week’s Most Important Medical & Pharma News

Last week we launched a new section for our newsletter and website: Health in a Hurry! This week we bring you stories about Hospital Air. Why is the air in emergency rooms so worrisome? You will find out about a shortage of estrogen patches for menopausal symptoms. Earlier this week we discussed CAC (coronary artery calcium) scores. Could these CT scans pose unexpected risks? Find out in our Heart Scans in a Hurry story. Read on for short health stories we hope you will find intriguing.

Hospital Air in a Hurry: COVID Despite “Good Ventilation”

Many of us assume assume that modern hospitals have “clean air.” New research suggests that during a community COVID surge, that could be an overly optimistic assumption.

Most people believe that hospitals have super sophisticated equipment to filter out or kill pathogens circulating in the air. Remember the famous bank robber Willie Sutton? He theoretically responded to the question why he robbed banks with the answer: “because that’s where the money is.”

Where are there lots and lots of nasty germs? My response is, in hospitals: “because that’s where the sick people are.”

A study in Respiratory Medicine (March 2026) sampled air and surfaces in the Emergency Department (ED) and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a >500-bed hospital in Sydney, Australia during COVID waves in late 2023 and mid-2024. Researchers found SARS-CoV-2 RNA in 39% of aerosol samples (20 of 51)—despite ventilation that looked good on paper, with mean CO₂ around 614 ppm (generally considered a marker of quite good air exchange).

The emergency department (was the clear trouble spot: 80% of positive air samples came from the ED, especially the acute care area and the public waiting room. The ICU had fewer positives overall, but was far from perfect.

The authors emphasize a key caveat: RNA detection doesn’t prove infectious virus. But they also conclude that good  ventilation alone may not fully protect staff and patients during epidemic waves. They also point to layered protections like masks, portable HEPA filtration, and vaccines, especially in high-traffic areas.

Why this matters:

Waiting rooms and emergency departments are where vulnerable people sit shoulder-to-shoulder sharing air, often for many hours. Visit almost any emergency room in America and you will discover 1) lots of people and 2) almost no one is wearing a mask.

This Australian research reinforces something we’ve learned the hard way: “meets ventilation standards” isn’t the same as “low risk” when community spread is high. If hospitals can’t rely on ventilation alone during surges, neither can the rest of us. Clean air strategies–HEPA filtration, better airflow, modern ultraviolet germicidal irradiation and sensible masking policies during outbreaks–should be treated like basic infection control, not optional upgrades. By the way, we are still experiencing a bad flu outbreak. Other pathogens in the air include SARS-CoV-2, RSV and human metapneumovirus.

Groundhog Day in a Hurry: Influenza…Again…and Again!

Remember the movie Groundhog Day? Bill Murray wakes up to the same day over and over? That’s what this flu season feels like. Even as we edge toward spring, influenza is still grinding on, with the CDC’s FluView update for the week of Feb. 20, 2026 reporting Clinical Lab data trending up. And flu activity remains moderate to very high across much of the country.

WastewaterScan monitors sewage across the country. It too reports high levels of both Influenza A and Influenza B.

What’s especially maddening is the sense of déjà vu inside hospitals and clinics: crowded waiting rooms, stressed emergency departments, and clinicians trying to keep mild cases from turning into pneumonia. One bright spot is that some community clinics are leaning hard into “test-to-treat:” vaccinate, test quickly, and start antivirals fast so high-risk patients can be treated before they wind up in an overwhelmed ER.

Why this matters:

Just when people think they’ve “already had the flu,” here comes the sequel: influenza B tends to rise later, and this year it’s becoming a larger slice of circulating flu even while influenza A continues. Meanwhile, the CDC’s FluView is always a week or two behind real life, so the official numbers may not capture what clinicians are seeing right now in their exam rooms.

Bottom line: if you’ve been letting your guard down, this is the week to tighten it back up. Prompt testing plus early antiviral treatment can change the course of illness, especially for kids, older adults and anyone with chronic health conditions. You can buy an over-the-counter test that measures both type A and type B influenza.

Here are some options:

• iHealth COVID-19, Flu A&B 3-in1 Antigen Rapid Test  

• OSOM Covid Flu Test Combo – 3-in-1 Rapid Flu A B and Covid Home Test Kit

• CorDx TyFast 10 Mins Flu A/B & Covid 19 Multiplex Rapid Test

The People’s Pharmacy is reader supported. When you buy through links in this post, we may earn a small affiliate commission (at no cost to you).

Dental Antibiotics in a Hurry: Why Are Dentists Still Using Clindamycin?

Dentists are still writing millions of prescriptions for clindamycin (Cleocin), an antibiotic that has carried an FDA boxed warning for decades because it can trigger C. diff–associated diarrhea, including severe, sometimes fatal colitis.

FDA’s boxed warning states in part:

“Because clindamycin hydrochloride therapy has been associated with severe colitis which may end fatally, it should be reserved for serious infections where less toxic antimicrobial agents are inappropriate, as described in the INDICATIONS AND USAGE section.”

A new CIDRAP (Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy) investigation by Liz Szabo is extraordinary. We have been following the work Liz has done for decades. She is a thorough investigative journalist and this report is powerful.

Liz writes that:

“Dentists wrote more than 2.3 million prescriptions last year for an antibiotic called clindamycin…”

That is even though experts have been warning for years that clindamycin is notorious for causing C. diff infections. The story follows a 92-year-old woman who developed devastating C. diff after taking clindamycin around a tooth extraction—an infection that ultimately contributed to her decline and death.

Here’s the frustrating part: professional guidance has been moving away from clindamycin. The American Dental Association notes that the 2021 AHA statement no longer recommends clindamycin as an alternative for dental prophylaxis in penicillin-allergic patients, because it can cause more frequent and severe reactions than other options.

Why this matters:

When antibiotics are truly needed, they can be lifesaving. But “just in case” prescribing, especially with clindamycin, can have distrous consequences. If your dentist suggests an antibiotic, it’s reasonable to ask: Is it necessary? What’s the benefit for this procedure? And is there a safer alternative than clindamycin? If C. diff strikes, you won’t be calling your dentist, you’ll likely be headed to the ER. In hard-to-treat cases you might need a fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) to reestablish a healthier microbiome.

Microplastics in a Hurry: Prostate Cancer Concerns

Microplastics are back in the headlines this week. The latest concern: prostate cancer. The pilot study (10 men undergoing prostate removal surgery) was presented this week at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Genitourinary Cancers Symposium.

Researchers found microplastics/nanoplastics in 90% of tumor samples and 70% of “benign” prostate tissue, with about 2.5× higher concentrations in cancer tissue (roughly 40 µg/g vs 16 µg/g).

We are swimming in a literal sea of plastic. Tiny shards (microplastics or nanoparticles) have been found in testicles, brains, hearts, kidneys, heart, liver, lungs, intestines and now prostates. Some investigators downplay the danger. Critics say the field is still “immature,” standards vary wildly, and extraordinary claims haven’t always been matched by extraordinary proof.

I am not an unbiased observer. I have been worried about plastic since the late 1970s. If you would like to read more, here are two articles you may find of interest:

Are Your Pills Poisoning You with Plastic?

Show 1398: Protecting Children from the Perils of Plastic
In our discussion, Dr. Alan Greene offers parents advice on protecting children from minute plastic particles.

Why this matters:

Plastic pollution is everywhere, and the science on what it’s doing inside our bodies is still shaking out. The new study is intriguing because tumor and benign samples were processed similarly, yet tumors showed higher plastic levels. That might hint at biology rather than mere contamination. But this research is still early, small, and not definitive. For readers, the practical takeaway isn’t panic, it’s precaution: avoid heating food in plastic, use non-plastic food containers, cut down on plastic contact with hot liquids and consider good filtration for drinking water if that’s possible. Stay tuned for larger, better-controlled studies that move from “we detected a possible problem” to “we can prove there is a problem.”

Estrogen Patches in a Hurry: New FDA Policy Leads to Empty Shelves

Women looking for relief from hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, and brain fog are running into an aggravating new problem: estradiol patches are increasingly hard to find. Reports from pharmacies and clinicians around the country suggest that many patients are being forced to switch brands, change patch schedules, or go without hormones for days or weeks.

What’s fueling this shortage? Demand appears to be rising at the same time the FDA is trying to reframe hormone therapy risks. On February 12, 2026, the FDA approved labeling changes for six menopausal hormone therapy products.

Here is how the FDA describes the new wording:

“Specifically, risk statements related to cardiovascular disease, breast cancer and probable dementia were removed from the ‘boxed warning,’ the agency’s most prominent safety-related warning.”

That shift has been widely interpreted as a green light for broader use, even though the true “who benefits most and who shouldn’t use HRT” conversation remains complicated. Meanwhile, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists has listed ongoing supply problems for estradiol transdermal systems involving multiple manufacturers. And local reporting confirms clinicians are hearing from patients daily about workarounds.

Why this matters:

It’s hard to make an informed decision about hormone therapy. A shortage makes it worse, because people get pushed into hurried substitutions (different brands, different dosing schedules, different costs). Even more challenging is abrupt discontinuation. That can lead to rebound symptoms. If your patch is “out of stock,” ask your prescriber about equivalent-dose alternatives (other patch brands, gels/sprays, or, if necessary, oral estradiol). Please don’t try to to figure this out on your own. And remember: even if warnings are softened, hormones are powerful medicines!

Here is an article you may find relevant to this conversation:

“Why Is Hormone Replacement Therapy So Controversial?“

Estrogen and Breast Cancer: Yes–NO!–Maybe?

Heart Scans in a Hurry: How Much Radiation Are We Getting?

Coronary artery calcium (CAC) scans and coronary CT angiography (“CAT” scans) have become increasingly popular tools for evaluating heart disease risk, especially in people without symptoms. I wrote an article a few days ago titled:

Could a Zero Calcium – CAC Score – Mean You Don’t Need a Statin?

Some readers may have interpreted that article as an enthusiastic recommendation to request a coronary artery scan. But new research raises an important caution: the amount of radiation patients receive during such tests can vary dramatically, and sometimes exceed recommended limits.

A large international study published in JAMA (Feb. 25, 2026) examined radiation exposure from cardiac imaging at more than 700 centers in 101 countries. The researchers found that while CAC (coronary artery calcium) scans generally involved relatively low radiation doses (median about 1.2 mSv), coronary CT angiography (CCTA) delivered much higher exposure (median 7.4 mSv). Nearly half of patients undergoing CCTA exceeded the guideline-recommended limit of 9 mSv.

Even more troubling, radiation doses varied widely depending on where the test was performed. Patients in low- and middle-income countries often received substantially higher doses, largely due to older equipment and inconsistent scanning protocols. In Africa, for example, the median radiation dose for CCTA was more than five times higher that in Western Europe.

The authors stress that this is not an argument against cardiac imaging. Rather it’s a call for better training, standardized protocols, and modern equipment. As heart scans become more common, especially for screening people without symptoms, minimizing unnecessary radiation exposure becomes increasingly important. Many people assume that something as seemingly benign as a “CAT” scan does not involve radiation. Au contraire. Even at “low” doses, it is still ionizing radiation.

Why this matters:

CAC (coronary artery calcium) scans offer useful information for some people, but they are not risk-free. Radiation exposure is cumulative, varies greatly by facility, and is often invisible to patients. Before agreeing to a CT-based heart test, it’s reasonable to ask: Is this test truly necessary? How much radiation will I receive? And are there lower dose or safer alternatives? Sometimes, the most prudent medical advice still comes down to an old principle: first, do no harm! \

You may find this article of interest:

“The Hidden Cancer Costs of CT Scans“

Final Words About This Issue of Health in a Hurry:

We are still trying to determine if this new People’s Pharmacy feature is worthwhile. Did you find it helpful? Please share your thoughts, suggestions or concerns in the comment section below.

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