Take 5 minutes to catch up on Infection Control Today’s highlights for the week ending October 22.
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.
Delta Variant of COVID-19 Will Burn Itself Out
Jason Tetro, author of The Germ Code and The Germ Files: “Moving forward, I think we’re going to be going into this idea of seasonality, or as I like to say, cold, flu and COVID-19 seasons.” And the so-called "monster variant"? It's already here, says Tetro. It's called Delta.
Breakthrough COVID-19 Infection Kills Colin Powell
More frequent testing and continuation of mitigation measures such as masking would better help to protect the more vulnerable among us such as Colin Powell, a study concludes.
‘Son’ of COVID-19 Delta Variant on Scientists’ Radar
The UK Health Security Agency says that as of September 27, about 6% of sequencing tests in the UK tested positive for the Delta descendant—AY.4.2—which some scientists estimate may be 10% more infectious than original Delta.
Troubled Water Makes for Sick Hospitals
Brian Flannigan: “The reason why water quality and water safety is so important in sterile processing is that there have been direct connections made between the water systems and hospital infections: operating room infections, asset life problems, maintenance problems, staining and discoloration of equipment.”
Sterile Processing Unscripted: Know When to Innovate
IAHCSMM’s Damien Berg: “COVID-19 put a light on sterile processing professionals in a positive way. We became a force multiplier in the hospital by the things we did. And we got known.”
Four Years After COVID-19: What Has the Infection Prevention Community Learned?
March 15th 2024Four years ago today, March 15, 2020, the COVID-19 lockdown began, and since then, the world has undergone significant changes. It has been a terrifying experience for everyone, especially for the infection prevention community, both within and outside of the health care sector. However, a crucial question remains unanswered: What has the infection prevention community learned from this pandemic, and where does it go from here?
COVID-19 Harmonization: Balancing Risks and Benefits of CDC's Latest Move
March 11th 2024The CDC's recent decision to align recommendations for respiratory viruses, particularly COVID-19, has garnered support from the public and infectious disease societies. However, as the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) lends its backing to the CDC's harmonization efforts, concerns persist regarding the implications of this shift, especially considering the Omicron variant's unique characteristics and the ongoing challenges posed by COVID-19's multi-system impacts.
“A Marathon and a Sprint”: Passing Surgical Smoke Legislation
March 9th 2024At the AORN’s International Surgical Conference & Expo 2024, a presentation on surgical smoke drew applause and strong emotion about the continuing fight for legislation on removing surgical smoke from operating rooms. Infection Control Today was there to tell you what happened.
Health at Risk: The Impact of Antimicrobial Resistance From a Global to Local Health Perspective
March 6th 2024Discover the critical role infection preventionists play in combating multidrug-resistant organisms, from the impact on patient care to the challenges of treatment, and the evolving landscape of antimicrobial resistance with Katharine J Hoffman, MPH, CIC.