Weekly Rounds with Infection Control Today: Stop the Variants, Booster Shot Questions, What’s New in NICUs

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.

Take a Stand Now to Stop COVID-19 Variants

Herd immunity is no longer possible, the virus is mutating and likely has animal hosts. We must raise the bar on public health outcomes, not only focusing on deaths but also morbidity and long-hauler syndrome which can be all too common, even occurring with vaccine breakthrough infections.

COVID-19 Booster Shots Alone Might Not Stop Delta and Other Variants

Booster shots are great, but the way back to our normal lives involves a multi-pronged approach to infection prevention.

Nursing Home Employees Must Get COVID-19 Vaccine, says Biden

Only 40% of nursing home employees are vaccinated. Nursing home advocates counter that vaccine hesitancy exists in all health care settings, and if nursing home employees must get the vaccine, the same should apply to all health care workers in the United States.

COVID-19 Gave Birth to Changes in Neonatal Intensive Care Units

Testing of the infant of the COVID-19–positive mother requires 2 negative COVID-19 tests 2 days apart. This time delay adds to the challenge of ensuring available isolation beds.

Why Wait 8 Months for a COVID-19 Booster Shot?

US health officials unveiled a booster shot program this week that says that some people should get the shots 8 months after their last initial dose. Where did that number come from?