Weekly Rounds with Infection Control Today: Beware Stealth Omicron, How Long is Long COVID?, How IPs Help Patients
Take 5 minutes to catch up on Infection Control Today’s highlights for the week ending January 28.
Here are 5 highlights from ICT®’s wide-ranging coverage of the infection prevention and control world. Everything from interviews with known opinion leaders, to the news that infection preventionists and other health care professionals can use on their jobs.
‘Stealth Omicron’ Starting to Get Noticed, Setting Off Some Alarms
Initial data suggest that it appears to be more infectious than even the highly infectious original Omicron variant.
Long COVID Symptoms Last for a Year for Some Patients
This frequency of symptoms 1 year after recovering from severe COVID-19 disease is concerning, as much is still unknown about “long COVID.”
Those Who Believe in Herd Immunity Cannot Do the Math
COVID-19 mutations are evading our immunity and at the same time our immunity is waning. Herd immunity to disease and the eradication of SARS-CoV-2 is no longer possible.
Despite Little Interaction With Patients, IPs Play Huge Role in Keeping Them Safe
The ability to be an excellent infection preventionist requires lifelong learning and taking the initiative to grow professionally.
Infection Preventionist Called on to Rescue Nursing Homes Hit by Omicron
Linda Spaulding, a member of ICT®’s Editorial Advisory Board, and a consultant, plans to fly out to Hawaii later this week to advise her LTCF clients in that state about how best to get through the current surge.
How Contaminated Is Your Stretcher? The Hidden Risks on Hospital Wheels
July 3rd 2025Despite routine disinfection, hospital surfaces, such as stretchers, remain reservoirs for harmful microbes, according to several recent studies. From high-touch areas to damaged mattresses and the effectiveness of antimicrobial coatings, researchers continue to uncover persistent risks in environmental hygiene, highlighting the critical need for innovative, continuous disinfection strategies in health care settings.
Beyond the Surface: Rethinking Environmental Hygiene Validation at Exchange25
June 30th 2025Environmental hygiene is about more than just shiny surfaces. At Exchange25, infection prevention experts urged the field to look deeper, rethink blame, and validate cleaning efforts across the entire care environment, not just EVS tasks.
A Controversial Reboot: New Vaccine Panel Faces Scrutiny, Support, and Sharp Divides
June 26th 2025As the newly appointed Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met for the first time under sweeping changes by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the national spotlight turned to the panel’s legitimacy, vaccine guidance, and whether science or ideology would steer public health policy in a polarized era.
