Infection Control - August 2020
India Deploys Portable, Foldable Covid Hospital
Facility can be set up in a few hours by fewer than five people
8/31/2020
Mobile COVID Clinical Trial Travels To Nursing Homes
An experimental drug to halt sudden outbreaks is being tested
8/31/2020
Many Doctors Say Pandemic Won't Be Contained Until June
Eighty-six percent of physicians said COVID-19 won't be under control until at least January 2021
8/28/2020
Report: Nursing Homes Facing Severe Staffing And Protective Equipment Shortages
Report includes results from a new national database containing 98 percent of U.S. nursing homes
8/28/2020
Legionella May Be COVID-19 Reopening Risk
Stagnant water can be a breeding ground for waterborne pathogens, like legionella. Here's how to reduce the risk
8/28/2020
Study: Children With Covid May Be More Contagious Than Adults
Infected children had significantly higher levels of virus in their airways
8/27/2020
CMS to Resume Routine Nursing Home Inspections
Onsite revisit surveys, non-immediate jeopardy complaint surveys and annual recertification surveys will resume
8/27/2020
Connecticut Report Says Nursing Home Staff Should Not Work In Multiple Facilities
The report also said that facilities assign staff to the same units and schedule longer shifts to cut down on departures and arrivals
8/27/2020
What to Know about Germicidal Lighting And Coronavirus
Fighting pathogens with lighting is not new, but can be tricky
8/26/2020
N.C. Hospital Launches Drone Delivery Service
The drones transport medicines and personal protective equipment
8/26/2020
7 Million N95 Masks From Federal Stockpile Earmarked For Nursing Homes
Stockpile has 44 million masks
8/25/2020
Strike Teams Deployed To Combat Covid-19 in Nursing Homes
States are sending teams to help with outbreaks
8/25/2020
N.J. Hospitals Install Temperature Screening System for COVID-19
Alerts from thermal imaging cameras can be sent instantly to medical staff or security personnel
8/25/2020
COVID Patient Cohorting Can Come With Challenges
There are a number of considerations when planning patient-care arrangements during a pandemic
8/24/2020
N.Y. Hospital Sets Up Outdoor Visits For Elderly Patients
Rome Memorial Hospital helping its residents reconnect
8/21/2020
Flu Season With COVID Uncharted Territory For Healthcare Facilities
Things could be complicated because there’s going to be no way to distinguish between the two — without better testing capabilities
8/21/2020
Texas COVID Recovery Centers Ready For Patients
State’s largest recovery centers located at Casa de Amistad and the McAllen Convention Center
8/21/2020
VA To Welcome Volunteers Back to Healthcare Facilities
Some volunteer roles will be new, modified, virtual or remain paused
8/20/2020
Monitoring Feedback Recommended For Hand-Hygiene Programs
Monitoring hand-hygiene performance and providing personnel with feedback is key
8/20/2020
Report Links Spike In New Nursing Home COVID Cases To Community Spread
The report shows these cases increased in July after having dropped in June
8/19/2020
Best Practices for Healthcare Data Collection During COVID-19 and Beyond
Every COVID-19 case offers an opportunity to learn
8/19/2020
Study: Cleaning COVID Hospital Rooms Requires Contact Precautions
Education about infection prevention and maintaining adequate supplies of personal protective equipment was emphasized
8/19/2020
Proper Handling and Laundering of Bed Linen Can Help Curb Infection
Fabrics are sometimes overlooked as a potential source of healthcare-acquired infection
8/14/2020
Study: Healthcare Workers Of Color Nearly Twice As Likely To Get COVID
They were also more likely to care for COVID-19 patients and report having PPE issues
8/14/2020
Keeping Facility Ice Machines Clean and Safe
Ice machines can become contaminated with bacterial and viruses. These pathogens are often introduced by a person using the ice machine – not the machine itself.
8/14/2020
Hospitals Tracking COVID-19 With Sensors On Employee Badges
If a patient or staffer is diagnosed with the virus, the sensor system can pull up a map that shows who might have been in close proximity
8/13/2020
National Guard Helping Ease Long-Term Care Facilities’ Staffing Issues
National Guard members are also help run COVID-19 testing sites
8/13/2020
Preparing Healthcare Facilities for the Next Crisis
Facilities must ensure the health of patients outside of COVID, and be more prepared for the next emergency
8/13/2020
Consider Coronavirus, Hygiene Issues WIth Restrooms Upgrades
Upgrades should adapting to the pandemic, while improving productivity of custodial staff and reducing costs
8/13/2020
California Hospitals Expect To Face PPE Shortage For Next 2 Years
Hospitals across the state describe growing PPE shortages
8/11/2020
Longterm Impact From COVID-19 Expected For Senior Facilities
Facility design will need to enable residents to be smarter about living together
8/11/2020
Orlando Hospitals Remind Public That Medical Facilities Are Not Hurricane Shelters
Facilities stress the point this year because of social distancing needs
8/10/2020
Study Said Healthcare Workers Wearing PPE Still Have Three Times The COVID-19 Risk
Minority workers have an even greater risk, the study said. Minority care providers were five times more likely to contract Covid-19 than white colleagues.
8/10/2020
Hospitals Prepare For Hurricane Season During Pandemic
COVID-19 has many hospitals planning to shelter in place
8/10/2020
Georgia Reopens Temporary Hospital in Atlanta To Deal With Covid Surge
The Georgia World Congress Center facility has a 120-bed capacity
8/7/2020
Use Of Domestic Medical Suppliers More Expensive
Johns Hopkins VP says 40-cent surgical gowns now cost $9
8/7/2020
Pennsylvania Nursing Homes' Second COVID-19 Wave Linked To Mistakes
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expects a second wave to start in the fall, during the traditional flu season, but the increase seen in Pennsylvania has begin early
8/6/2020
Healthcare FMs Challenged with Unified Response for Facilities Nationwide
Varied responses offer an opportunity to learn and share best practices across geographies that much more quickly
8/6/2020
FEMA Sends Gowns Without Arm Holes And Strapless Masks To Care Homes
$134 million shipment to frontline workers included ‘glorified garbage bag gowns’
8/6/2020
California Hospital Weathering Supply Chain Challenges
Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital’s parent company acquired stake in PPE manufacturer
8/6/2020
South Carolina Hospital Installing Tents As It Deals With COVID-19 Patients
Regional Medical Center Orangeburg Hospital is also preparing for the upcoming hurricane season
8/5/2020
Puerto Rico Lacks Hospital To Survive COVID-19
Puerto Rico has a surge in COVID-19 infections
8/4/2020
Hand Hygiene Even More Important in the Post-COVID-19 Era
Healthcare facilities must sustain the gains achieved during the pandemic
8/4/2020
23 Employees, 13 Patients Infected At Mass. Hospital After Employee Visited A Coronavirus Hotspot
The coronavirus cluster emerged on a non-COVID unit
8/3/2020
Tenn. Hospitals Preparing Extra Space If Needed For Covid-19 Patients
COVID-19 hospitalizations are hitting new highs in the region
8/3/2020
Contact Tracing Gets Real
Hospitals and clinics look to location based intelligence (LBI) for fully automated, real-time contact and contagion tracking
8/3/2020
NICUs Facing Unique Challenges During Covid
A patient is labor is not going to be asked to wear a mask
8/3/2020
Germicidal Technologies Can Reduce Hospital Airborne Pathogens
UV-C energy can fortify hospital defenses against infectious diseases by reducing their concentrations without increasing their resistance to medicines
8/1/2020
