Infection Control News and Research

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CDC says vaccinated individuals can skip COVID quarantines

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic's global case toll has surpassed 109 million globally. Of these infections, 2.4 million people have already succumbed to the disease. As the pandemic continues to spread, many countries have rolled out vaccinations.

15 Feb 2021

Reparations before COVID-19 pandemic could have reduced infections, deaths in the U.S.

Civil rights activists have long called for monetary reparations to the Black descendants of Africans enslaved in the United States as a financial, moral, and ethical form of restitution for the injustices of slavery.

12 Feb 2021

Novel tool guides evaluation of patients who develop COVID-19 symptoms

When patients arrive in emergency departments and hospitals with symptoms consistent with COVID-19, it's critical to isolate them to avoid the potential spread of infection, but keeping patients isolated longer than needed could delay patient care, take up hospital beds needed for other patients, and unnecessarily use up personal protective equipment.

10 Feb 2021

Is a ten day isolation period for COVID-19 patients long enough?

In a new study researchers at the Instituto de Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil, reported that mild COVID-19 patients can still be infectious at day 10 from the illness onset, even in the absence of symptoms.

8 Feb 2021

Researchers to develop new test method to assess preventative surface cleansers

A CONCEPT known as dry biofilms has emerged over the past few years and they have shown to frequently harbour potentially infectious organisms, just like the ones present in Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs).

4 Feb 2021

SARS-CoV-2 has developed worrying new mutation in UK

Over the past few months, surging cases have been reported due to new fast-spreading variants. Now, Public Health England (PHE) investigates cases of COVID-19 with worrying new genetic changes. The E484K mutation, which could allow SARS-CoV-2 escape antibody protection, was seen in a small group of cases in some regions of the country.

4 Feb 2021

Genomic study suggests SARS-CoV-2 clade 20C was imported into Japan from the US

A new study describes the outcome of such sequencing efforts in Japan as an important tool towards containing the spread of the infection.

3 Feb 2021

Study finds higher pediatric SARS-CoV-2 burden than previously reported in the U.S.

In a new study, published on the pre-print server medRxiv*, researchers at Inova Children's Hospital and the George Mason University revealed that a much higher burden of SARS-CoV-2 infection was found in children than previously reported. This comes after the researchers assessed seropositivity among 1,038 children and adolescents.

3 Feb 2021

CDC examines COVID-19 outbreak among U.S. office workers: a case study in transmission

Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the U.S. found that despite mitigation efforts, two COVID-19 outbreaks emerged among office workers in Washington, DC.

1 Feb 2021

Groundbreaking therapy may provide a new treatment modality for biofilm infections in foot ulcers

A new £1.7m project to explore using plasma jets and antimicrobial dressings to treat debilitating - and potentially deadly - wound infections launches today.

1 Feb 2021

If this self-sufficient hospital cannot stand alone, can any public hospital survive?

In America's health care system, dominated by hospital chain leviathans, New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, North Carolina, is an anomaly. It is a publicly owned hospital that boasts good care at lower prices than most and still flourishes financially.

29 Jan 2021

COVID-19 patients in high-altitude ICUs had improved survival in case study

A team of researchers in Ecuador and the U.K. found that high altitudes may be linked to improved COVID-19 survival – particularly among patients with no comorbidities.

28 Jan 2021

Researchers develop method for presymptomatic COVID-19 detection

An encouraging new study by researchers at University College London, UK, reports the potential of a form of COVID-19 testing which can detect presymptomatic cases.

26 Jan 2021

COVID-19, influenza and suicide are responsible for deaths of ICE detainees

Thirty-five people have died in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) since April 2018, with a seven-fold increase in deaths even as the average daily population decreased by nearly a third between 2019 and 2020, a new USC study shows.

21 Jan 2021

Busting myths on airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2

The rapid spread of COVID-19 caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to significant research on the mechanisms of how the virus spreads, which is usually by airborne transmission.

20 Jan 2021

About 60 percent of SARS-CoV-2 cases in England tied to new variant by the end of December

One new SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern, called 202012/01, started to spread in England in late October. A new study published on the pre-print server medRxiv found that 60 percent of daily COVID-19 cases screened by the Alderley Park Lighthouse Labs were tied to 202012/01, also known as lineage B.1.1.7 or 20B/501Y.V1. This suggests a rapid spread of the new variant across the country.

18 Jan 2021

What are the key factors and impact of interventions in England’s COVID-19 epidemic?

Researchers from Imperial College London provide a mathematical model to help understand how SARS-CoV-2, the causative pathogen of (COVID-19), spread across England in the first two waves of the epidemic, and the effect of various interventions by the government.

18 Jan 2021

CVS and Walgreens under fire for slow pace of vaccination in nursing homes

The effort to vaccinate some of the country's most vulnerable residents against covid-19 has been slowed by a federal program that sends retail pharmacists into nursing homes — accompanied by layers of bureaucracy and logistical snafus.

15 Jan 2021

Health workers unions see surge in interest amid covid

The nurses at Mission Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina, declared on March 6 — by filing the official paperwork — that they were ready to vote on the prospect of joining a national union. At the time, they were motivated by the desire for more nurses and support staff, and to have a voice in hospital decisions.

12 Jan 2021

Research used to shape how dentistry can be carried out safely during Covid-19

Leading research at Newcastle University has been used to shape how dentistry can be carried out safely during the Covid-19 pandemic by mitigating the risks of dental aerosols.

11 Jan 2021