Mask Respirator

What does the post-COVID-19 future look like for infection preventonists? Great strides in infection prevention have been made because of the COVID-19 response, but look for them to be modified moving forward.

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.

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.”

Take 5 minutes to catch up on Infection Control Today’s highlights for the week ending October 15.

Infection preventionists and other health care providers need masks that can easily be fit-tested or are more moldable to ensure a good seal—Saskia v. Popescu, PhD, MPH, MA, CIC.

Take 5 minutes to catch up on Infection Control Today’s highlights for the week ending October 1.

Joshua Nosanchuk, MD, Programs Chairperson for ID Week: “What the infection preventionists are doing I think is a true blessing for our community. And not always as well recognized as it should be…. I just want to say thank you to all the people that are doing this work.”

Infection preventionists across health care settings struggle with a myriad of problems during this pandemic. IPs at nursing homes have it particularly hard.

Take 5 minutes to catch up on Infection Control Today’s highlights for the week ending September 17.

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

Take 5 minutes to catch up on Infection Control Today’s highlights for the week ending August 13.

The delta variant is taking advantage of opportunities presented by some Americans who resist getting vaccinated and masking up.

Kevin Kavanagh, MD: “COVID-19 is not just respiratory, it affects every organ of the body. This is a serious type of infection. And we need to be focusing on trying to keep this virus from spreading, plus protecting our young.”

An infection prevention officer at the hospital along with key clinical personnel and administrators had to give the OK for the prototype mask to be manufactured.

Investigators in Chile conclude that the lambda COVID-19 variant is not only more infectious than standard SARS-CoV-2, but could also possibly shrug off vaccines. The first case in the United States has been spotted at Houston Methodist Hospital.

The issue of breakthrough infections is increasingly coming up. How frequent are they? How infectious are they? Simply put, we know the COVID-19 vaccines do not offer sterilizing immunity.

Take 5 minutes to catch up on Infection Control Today’s highlights for the week ending July 30.

New CDC guidelines say that vaccinated individuals should begin wearing masks again when indoors in public settings in parts of the US with substantial to high transmission.

Kevin Kavanagh, MD: “I am convinced this virus is about one or two iterations away from completely avoiding the vaccine. And remember, we have the lambda variant and the kappa variant which are sitting out there in the wings, waiting for immunity to drop and possibly cause another wave.”

Non-ventilator-hospital associated pneumonia prevention is quickly becoming the hot topic among infection preventionists.

We need to have a paradigm shift in the way we view this virus, planning and implementing strategies to allow us to live with an endemic pathogen.

Take 5 minutes to catch up on Infection Control Today®’s highlights for the week ending July 16.

Take 5 minutes to catch up on Infection Control Today®’s highlights for the week ending July 9.

Two obstacles that inhibit the use of face masks among health care professionals include concern about how’ll they’ll affect communication, and perceived discomfort. Attitudes improve greatly with use.

The FDA revokes approval of some masks and decontamination methods that it had OK’d during the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic.