Hospital Infection Control & Prevention – February 1, 2021
February 1, 2021
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HHS, CDC Open COVID-19 Vaccination to All Age 65 Years and Older
Public health officials are opening up vaccine eligibility to a broad swath of society. This includes those 65 years of age and older and those under age 65 years with high-risk medical conditions.
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CDC: Immune-Compromised Can Be Vaccinated for COVID-19
Adults of any age with “certain underlying medical conditions are at increased risk for severe illness from the virus that causes COVID-19” and can be immunized with the approved mRNA COVID-19 vaccine “provided they have not had a severe allergic reaction to any of the ingredients in the vaccine,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports.
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IPs See ‘Hope’ in COVID-19 Vaccine
“In talking to infection preventionists around the country who are being vaccinated — it is like hope. It is a positive step forward. It is a step towards the solution," said Connie Steed, MSN, RN, CIC, FAPIC, president of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.
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Emerging Coronavirus Variants Narrow the Margin for Error
A highly transmissible variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus originally from the United Kingdom is emerging rapidly in the United States, with 76 cases detected in 12 states when this report was filed.
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CDC: At Least 50% of COVID-19 Spread by Asymptomatic Cases
The United States has had about 23 million cases of COVID-19 as of Jan. 13, 2021. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least 11.5 million of those cases were transmitted by someone without symptoms.
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COVID-19 Shots Causing Anaphylactic Shock at 10 Times Rate of Other Vaccines
With millions more healthcare workers and the general public slated to be immunized for COVID-19, researchers report that the Pfizer SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine is causing anaphylactic shock reactions at 10 times the rate of typical vaccines.
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With Focus on COVID-19, Other HAIs Increase
Infection preventionists are reporting increasing outbreaks of healthcare associated infections as the COVID-19 pandemic demands outsized efforts by overworked caregivers.
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CMS Updates COVID-19 Infection Control Survey
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services revised its “COVID-19 Focused Infection Control Survey Tool: Acute and Continuing Care” recently.