People who report they always wear a mask or respirator in indoor public settings were less likely to test positive for COVID-19 than people who did not, according to the CDC’s Feb. 4 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Category: Infection Control
‘The damage is done’: Experts warn about superbugs, antibiotic overuse amid pandemic
Increased misuse and overuse of antibiotics amid the pandemic may be exacerbating antibiotic resistance, according to a Jan. 28 report by National Geographic.
Hospitals are asking Leapfrog to lower hand hygiene standards — Here’s why it won’t
The leader of Leapfrog, as well as the head of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, discussed current hand hygiene protocols and compliance, and why hospitals may not be meeting the standards.
Oregon health officials report COVID-19 outbreak at state hospital
The Oregon Health Authority reported a COVID-19 outbreak affecting 18 employees at Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria in its latest weekly surveillance summary published Jan. 26.
Harvard, Stanford physicians call for universal use of N95s in hospitals
Hospitals should take more aggressive measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in hospitals amid the omicron driven surge, physicians from Cambridge, Mass.-based Harvard University and Stanford (Calif.) University wrote in an editorial piece publishe…
Antimicrobial resistance accounts for more global deaths than HIV, malaria, study finds
An estimated 1.27 million people around the world died directly from antimicrobial-resistant bacterial infections in 2019, according to a study published Jan. 19 in The Lancet. Antimicrobial resistance was also a factor in nearly 5 million deaths …
Louisiana reports first C. auris cases
University Medical Center New Orleans, part of LCMC Health, reported Louisiana’s first two known cases of Candida auris, a deadly, drug-resistant fungus, on Jan. 18, according to nola.com.
Yale researchers develop personal COVID-19 exposure detector
A team of researchers from New Haven, Conn.-based Yale University have developed a wearable air sampler device meant to monitor personal exposure to the coronavirus.
Rhode Island hospital reports COVID-19 outbreak
Cranston, R.I.-based Eleanor Slater Hospital reported 28 patients tested positive for COVID-19 Jan. 6 across multiple campuses, The Boston Globe reported Jan 6.
Rapid, but reliable? Early data suggests home tests lag with omicron
Amid surging demand for rapid COVID-19 antigen tests, a small real-world study suggests they may not be a reliable tool to curb transmission.
