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With these declarations, the areas can use funds to help with preparedness and response to prevent the further spread of the disease.

It is easy to become complacent, but the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is not over, and long COVID-19 and the new variants are causing rising concern.

This recommendation comes at an critical time as this flu season is feared to be a rebound after the low numbers the last few years due to COVID-19 precautions.

Disinformation is continuing, even in the face of staggering evidence that COVID-19 is an ongoing dangerous pandemic.

The wearable wristband works with location sensors throughout the hospital to track HH and HCW behavior, and then pairs with an app that analyzes individual performance.

“Of all the SSIs we culled over that 3 years, about 42% of them required a wound class change by an infection preventionist,” Emily Grohs, MPH, CIC, tells ICT®.

The bioburden disparities among the various locations sampled could mean HCWs are not practicing proper hand hygiene before using or moving WOWs. It could also reflect the number of touches or a discrepancy in cleaning methods.

Health care worker hand hygiene compliance ticked up during COVID, but levels remain low nationwide. A 3-hospital network in Illinois wanted to know why.

The IP’s role in vaccine compliance has traditionally centered on influenza shots, but that all changed with SARS-CoV-2.

Trained observers at a pediatric hospital in south Texas relied on the app for hand hygiene observation collections between June 18 and November 30, 2021, and logged a 140% increase in observations collected.

Few individuals in the United States are currently wearing masks, and many are continuing to engage in risky behavior. This may well be a toxic mix, and healthcare facilities and infection preventionists need to prepare for another possible surge in cases.   

Moderna has filed for the first FDA Emergency Use Authorization for this age group.

The HSPA 2022 presentation focused on sharing new and future sterilization standards updates.

Masking during airline travel was halted yesterday by a federal judge, while other places, like Philadelphia, have re-implemented masking mandates.

The letter comes after a year of reprocessing validation testing and a voluntary medical device recall.

The FDA authorized a second booster for both Pfizer and Moderna vaccination recipients 4 months after first booster shot.

The dose is half the antigen amount for adults but with similar amount of titers.

Pfizer CEO, Albert Bourla, said in nationally televised interview that it is necessary to fend off waning protection.

The mandate was set to expire on March 18, 2022 and will cover the spring break season.

A letter has been sent to more than 4500 veterans stating that reusable instruments used in medical procedures may not have been sterilized properly at a Georgia hospital.

The virus may have found yet another stable host in the white-tailed deer population.

Face covering determinations will now be made based off hospitalizations, rather than case counts, among other metrics.

The new immunization schedule also includes updates and clarifications on vaccines such as hepatitis B, recombinant zoster vaccine, and the pneumococcal vaccine.

This vaccine will add another alternative to the current vaccines on the market if approved in US and Europe.

Take 5 minutes to catch up on Infection Control Today’s highlights for the week ending February 18.

Investigators found that 32% of older adults diagnosed with COVID-19 sought medical attention in the post-acute period.

IPs in the VA system aim their infection prevention sights on most areas of care: acute care, nursing homes, palliative, mental health. They track infections differently. In addition, the VA acts as a testing ground for IP innovations.

Long COVID appears to be worsening the labor shortage in the United States, and the health care industry—which has lost 20% of workers over the pandemic—could be particularly hard hit.

Lisa Waldowski, DNP, RN, CIC, of Kaiser Permanente: “There will always be a role for infection preventionists. I don’t worry about job security, so to speak. There are so many elements within infection prevention and control.”

There’s a long way to go before the industry recovers from the mass worker exodus from health care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Infection prevention especially faces daunting challenges.