Weekly Rounds with Infection Control Today: Delta Variant, COVID-19’s Origin

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.

It’s Not Over: As Delta Variant Preys on the Unvaccinated, Long COVID Settles In

Over 2 million people in England may be suffering from long COVID. That’s almost 4% of England’s population; 4% of the U.S. population would be over 13 million people.

Questions Linger Around COVID-19’s Origin

We may never know what triggered the global pandemic that has claimed more than 3.8 million lives…. What we do know for certain is that the incredible strength and collaboration of the scientific community have allowed us to regain some semblance of normalcy.

53 Hospital Employees Resign, Fired Over COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate

Marc L. Boom, MD, Houston Methodist Hospital’s CEO and president, took an unequivocal stand in mandating that employees get vaccinated and it’s a stand that not only other health care institutions—but all companies in every industry—might also possibly take thanks to guidance on the matter by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

We Might Ignore the Delta Variant, but It’s Not Ignoring the U.S.

Far too few have been fully vaccinated in the U.S.to ward off a run on our hospitals, and avoiding hospitalizations is an extremely low bar for public health, since 10% to 30% of the patients even with mild to moderate disease will develop long COVID.

One Method to Contain COVID-19 at Nursing Homes

Here’s one method of containing COVID-19 at nursing homes: Pair long-term care facilities (LTCF) staff and residents who’ve recovered with susceptible residents to help reduce transmission. It seems to work, says a study.