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.
February 6th 2025
The US exit from the UNHRC and cuts to UNRWA funding jeopardize global health, humanitarian aid, and pandemic preparedness, isolating America and endangering millions worldwide.
New Study: Hydroxychloroquine Works in Monkeys, Not Humans
August 7th 2020The resources used to study hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) would have been better spent on more promising treatment modalities, such as studying Camostat mesilate or nafamostat mesylate therapy for COVID-19, a compound which has been shown to block TMPRSS2.
Free COVID Testing for Healthcare Workers Pays Off
August 6th 2020Northwell Health officials point out that their data showing the benefit of free testing and adequate supply of personal protective equipment come from healthcare workers who were on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City.
Q&A: Healthcare Slow to Use Ultraviolet Light to Disinfect
August 5th 2020Mark Beeston: “Infection preventionists are a key component and a key gatekeeper in UVC technology and where it goes. Their recommendations are key and as clinical nurse leaders may be looking at providing additional tools, they want to consult with their infection prevention team.”
Here Comes the Double Whammy: Flu Season on Top of COVID
August 5th 2020The concern is not only that COVID-19 significantly increases the burden to healthcare facilities during an already busy season, but that the potential for more testing in patients with non-specific respiratory virus symptoms could further strain testing capacity.
When COVID Came Calling, Telemedicine Answered
August 3rd 2020Jody Feigel, RN, MSN: “You find when you’re at home, you roll out of bed, you get your coffee, you immediately get on your computer, and you just work. When we’re at the hospital, we have a lot of interruptions and a lot of times they’re good interruptions, sometimes not so much. And we head out to see whatever fires need to be put out.”
Lily, NIAID Launch Phase 3 Prevention Trial Centered on Nursing Homes
August 3rd 2020Despite a clear record of violations across the country, amid a culture where sick staff were asked to show up for work, lawmakers in several states have also potentially disincentivized improvement of infection control standards in long-term care facilities by providing legal liability protections ahead of time.
During COVID, Telehealth Can Be an Infection Preventionist's Friend
August 3rd 2020A telework-ready infection preventionist is an IP who continues to support their facility if they also end up in quarantine. Teleworking like so many other aspects of nursing is something we just needed to jump into. No training, no guidebook, no manual.
Continuously Active Disinfectants Can Keep COVID at Bay
July 31st 2020Charles P. Gerba, PhD: “Unfortunately, standard procedures for testing and registration by regulatory agencies of CADs (continuously active sanitizers or disinfectants) as disinfectants useful in preventing exposure to disease causing microorganism transmission has only taken place in recent years.”
Q&A: IPs, Vascular Access Teams Work Together
July 30th 2020Nancy Moureau: “Our priority is to minimize infections or potentially even to eliminate them. We want complications to be history. In order to achieve those goals, I see the vascular access specialist or the vascular access teams as being in a partnership with the infection preventionist.”
Some Patients May Never Fully Recover From COVID-19
July 29th 2020Many patients in the study who did not require hospitalization experienced prolonged or persistent symptoms, nonetheless. In addition, the absence of underlying medical conditions does not automatically mean patients will not experiences these longer lasting symptoms.
HAIs Didn’t Go Away When COVID-19 Came Along
July 28th 2020As the pandemic seems not to abate, patients will start to present to the hospital after delaying crucial primary and preventive care visits, meaning sicker non–COVID-19 infected patients, with the potential for increased CLABSI and CAUTI rates.
Q&A: COVID Presents Unique Challenges to NICUs
July 23rd 2020Jenny Hayes, MSN, RN, CIC: “Asking the patient to wear a mask, which is something that we do in our facility, can be challenging at that point, especially as labor progresses, and you’re to the point of pushing. That right there offers a set of unique challenges for both the patient and the staff in the room.”
US Government Buying 100 Million Doses of COVID-19 Vaccine
July 22nd 2020The U.S. government will pay Pfizer and BioNTech $1.95 billion upon the receipt of the first 100 million doses, following US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorization or approval. The U.S. government also can acquire up to an additional 500 million doses.
What Happened When COVID-19 Visited A Hair Salon
July 22nd 2020We have much work to do in terms of risk communication and awareness. This is a good example of how quickly exposures can happen in the workplace when we focus only on employee-to-customer interactions or healthcare worker-to-patient interactions.
National Reporting System for All Dangerous Pathogens Needed
July 20th 2020After decades of reluctance to implement a national reporting system, when COVID-19 came along we witnessed almost overnight the formulation of case definitions and comprehensive national reporting from all healthcare facilities.