The UCLA CORE Kidney Program will present Dialysis: What You Should Know at 5pm PST January 21, 2021, an online webinar covering the options available to a patient with advanced kidney disease, including home dialysis, living donation, transplant, and conservative management. Register at https://uclahs.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_GIfxKl59TCKnSAgW31mufw.
NKF will present an 8am PST January 11, 2021 program on COVID-19 Vaccine Webinar and Facebook Live: What Kidney Patients Need to Know about the COVID-19 Vaccine. Find details and register at https://www.kidney.org/content/flu-covid-19-webinar-facebook-live.
The FDA has issued two different warnings about false negative COVID-19 test results:
They have warned that the Curative SARS-Cov-2 test may provide false results that could threaten the safety of patients and staff, providing details and recommendations at https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/safety-communications/risk-false-results-curative-sars-cov-2-test-covid-19-fda-safety-communication.
They have also warned that all SARS-CoV-2 molecular tests may provide false negatives on mutations of the virus, providing details and recommendations at https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-issues-alert-regarding-sars-cov-2-viral-mutation-health-care-providers-and-clinical-laboratory.
ASN, AAKP, AKF, ANNA, CDC, NANT, NKF, RPA, and the Renal Healthcare Association (formerly the NRAA) are collaborating to sponsor a January 7, 2021 webinar on Safety and Efficacy of COVID-19 Vaccines in the Dialysis Population. Webinar topics will include available information about the safety and efficacy of the current COVID-19 vaccines for health care workers and patients with CKD, the risk of poor outcomes in those contracting COVID-19, the position of the sponsors on urging dialysis patients to get vaccinated, possible concerns about receiving the vaccine, approaches to discussing and defusing those concerns, and a strategy to share the provided information widely. Find more information and register at https://goto.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1416384&tp_key=2914871054.
NKF will present a free January 31, 2021 webinar on The Big Ask, the Big Give: First Steps to Transplant, an introduction for patients thinking about a kidney transplant, and potential donors thinking about donating a kidney. See below for more information, and register at https://www.kidney.org/babg-co.
The ESRD National Coordinating Center will present a January 15, 2021 online event for patients on Home Dialysis During COVID: Lessons Learned. The objective is to demonstrate best practices, share patient experiences, and discuss the benefits of home therapy. Find more information and register at https://esrdncc.org/en/covid-19/covid-webinars/.
The ESRD National Coordinating Center will present a January 5, 2021 webinar on Living in a COVID-19 Environment: Mental Health Support for Kidney Patients & Caregivers. Find more informaton below and at https://esrdncc.org/en/covid-19/covid-webinars/, and Register HERE.
The National Forum of ESRD Networks Kidney Patient Advisory Council has developed a poster to encourage their fellow patients to stay strong and continue to be diligent about using COVID-19 safety precautions. They understand the challenges patients have faced in 2020 and they want to send an encouraging message to stay safe and healthy. Please consider printing this poster and sharing it with your kidney patients. The poster is free to download from the Forum website at https://esrdnetworks.org/resources/coronavirus-information-resources/resources-for-kidney-patients/covid-19-poster-for-kidney-patients/view.
CDC says that during administration of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, “appropriate medical treatment used to manage immediate allergic reactions must be immediately available in the event that an acute anaphylactic reaction occurs following administration of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccine providers should observe patients with a history of anaphylaxis (due to any cause) for 30 minutes after vaccination. All other persons should be observed for 15 minutes after vaccination to monitor for the occurrence of immediate adverse reactions.” See https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/info-by-product/pfizer/clinical-considerations.html for a full description of all CDC recommendations around the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, including triage and adverse reaction reporting instructions near the bottom of the web page.
Patient Webinar
The ESRD Network Coordinating Center will host a December 15, 2021 webinar for patients on Home Dialysis During COVID: Lessons Learned. Topics will include best practices, patient experiences, and patient benefits of dialyzing at home. For details and registration see https://esrdncc.org/en/covid-19/covid-webinars/.
Provider Webinar
The ESRD Network Coordinating Center will host a December 30, 2021 webinar for providers on The Importance of Kidney Transplant and Referral Process During COVID-19. Topics will include the benefits of getting patients on the waitlist, the impact that COVID-19 has had on the referral process, and how a transplant center educates patients during the pandemic. One CEU credit will be available. For details and registration see https://esrdncc.org/en/covid-19/covid-webinars/.
