COVID-19

 

The Infection Control Today® COVID-19 page brings readers the latest information and clinical updates on the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, from case counts and hospitalization rates to data on effective treatments for severe disease and the circulating viral variants.

Who Gets the Lung? Vaccinated or Unvaccinated?

November 26, 2021

Kevin Kavanagh, MD: “One person with COVID-19 can spend months in the ICU, which would prevent 10 or 20, non-COVID-19 cases from going to the ICU, whether it’s for a coronary bypass, or just angioplasty, or getting a cancer procedure. You have 10 or 20 times the number of patients that can’t get care for other serious illnesses.”

Immune Changes in Mothers, Infants Linked to COVID-19 Infection

November 25, 2021

Perhaps another reason why pregnant women should get the COVID-19 vaccine? Investigators found COVID-19 infection altered the mothers’ immunity at delivery, and gestational COVID-19 exposure alters the immunity of the newborns.

Traceability: Challenges IPs Face Keeping an Instrument Decontaminated

November 24, 2021

La’Titia Houston MPH, BSN, RN, CIC: “We work not only with the bedside nurses and the sterile processors, but even with our clinicians, our physicians. They want a timeout before the procedure is even performed because they want to ensure that the scope did pass during the high-level disinfection procedure.”

COVID-19 Spread: Droplets or Particles? It’s Not an Either/Or

November 24, 2021

Recent research into COVID-19 suggests that health care systems need to move beyond the idea that pathogen spread happens either via droplets or aerosolized particles. Patients can generate the full range of respiratory particles.

COVID-19 Booster Shots Urged for Anyone 50 or Above

November 23, 2021

Confusion surrounding just who should get COVID-19 booster shots addressed in latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Animal Kingdom: COVID-19 Has So Many Hosts to Choose From

November 22, 2021

Kevin Kavanagh, MD: “The deer apparently live with COVID-19 quite well, but, yet rapidly spread it amongst the herds. And that’s actually very problematic, because if it finds a host that it doesn’t make sick, but yet it can mutate and change and then reinfect other animals and plus mankind, that is one of the worrisome scenarios that could take place.”

COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake Among Health Care Workers Hits Wall

November 22, 2021

Health care professionals were getting vaccinated at a steady clip. Then came the drop-off. Now, only about 70% are fully vaccinated. Infection preventionists to the rescue?

Confused Messaging About Boosters Might Cause 5th Wave of COVID

November 19, 2021

There is growing evidence that fully vaccinated should be defined as having 3 doses of an mRNA vaccine.

Weekly Rounds with Infection Control Today: Boosters Messaging Muddle, School Ventilation, Smallpox Scare

November 19, 2021

Take 5 minutes to catch up on Infection Control Today’s highlights for the week ending November 19.

Approval of COVID-19 Boosters for All Adults Inches Closer to Reality

November 18, 2021

The CDC is expected to approve the move today. But some experts question: Does it go far enough? Shouldn’t everybody get a booster?