Weekly Rounds with Infection Control Today®: Rise of Delta variant, Houston Methodist Hospital

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.

Not Quite Over Yet: COVID-19 Variants on Rise in the U.S.

As long as the immune escape variants are on the rise in the U.S. and less than half of our population is fully vaccinated, the best advice is to continue public health strategies.

Beating Biofilm Is Key to Fighting Surgical Infections

At the intersection of surgery and infection prevention resides a sometimes-neglected opportunity to further minimize infection risk by modernizing choices and innovation.

As Delta Variant Rises, Hospital Suspends 178 Employees for Not Getting Vaccinated Against COVID-19

Houston Methodist Hospital’s action occurs as the spreading of the COVID-19 Delta variant catches the eye of health care officials in the United States.

Health Care Disparities Uncovered in Nursing Homes

Investigators with Columbia University School of Nursing found that COVID-19 infections were 13.6 percentage points higher in nursing homes with 50% or more Black residents, and deaths were 3.5 percentage points higher, compared with nursing homes with no Black residents.

Hot Topics in Infection Prevention: Causes of Pediatric COVID-19, and U.K.’s Risky Reopening

Underlying conditions make young people more vulnerable to COVID-19, while the U.K. continues reopening despite the rise of the Delta variant.