Hospital Infection Control & Prevention – October 1, 2020
October 1, 2020
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CDC Backs Down on Testing Controversy
After widespread criticism from the medical community, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention dropped a controversial recommendation that de-emphasized the importance of testing asymptomatic contacts of COVID-19 cases.
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Some Health Departments, Hospitals Ignore CDC COVID-19 Testing Changes
The public health agency with arguably the most admired and emulated approach to combatting infectious disease outbreaks worldwide finds its latest advice on COVID-19 testing widely criticized and openly disregarded. Amid the worst pandemic in a century, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is dispensing advice to those who say they will not follow it.
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CDC’s Controversial Testing Changes
In contrast to recent guidelines — which emphasized the importance of contact tracing because 40% of cases are asymptomatic — the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued guidance on Aug. 24, 2020, stating that individuals who may have been exposed to COVID-19 do not necessarily need to be tested.
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Infection Control, Public Health Groups Call for Action on CDC Testing Change
Many of the nation’s leading infection control and public health groups signed a letter to the White House Coronavirus Task Force asking that recent revisions to COVID-19 testing guidelines be rescinded.
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Nurses Still Reporting PPE Shortages, Fear of Reusing Single-Use N95s
The chronic problem with adequate stocks of personal protective equipment for nurses continues as the coronavirus pandemic heads into the dreaded fall and winter months. Many nurses feel unsafe because of the shortages — and the continued reprocessing and reuse of N95 respirators, which are designed for single use only — according to the American Nurses Association.
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A Breakdown of ANA Survey Findings
A recent survey of 21,503 nurses by the American Nurses Association revealed key findings on personnel equipment and practices during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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COVID-19 Precautions Could Blunt Flu Season
Commonly recommended precautions against COVID-19 — including masking and social distancing — have blunted transmission against seasonal flu in some countries in the Southern Hemisphere, an epidemiologist reports.
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OSHA Fines Facility $28,000 for Failure to Protect Workers from COVID-19
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited a healthcare facility $28,070 for failing to protect healthcare workers from COVID-19.
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Parent Hospitalized After COVID-19 Outbreak in Daycare
One parent was hospitalized after 12 children acquired COVID-19 in childcare facilities, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.