In a recent installment of critical discussions in Infection Prevention and Control (IPC), expert Saskia v. Popescu, PhD, MPH, MA, CIC, shared her insights into some pressing subjects including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Ultraviolet C (UV-C), and more.
Recent evidence suggests an escalated rate of COVID-19 cases. Although this does not necessarily equate to a surge, it is certainly a cause for concern. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has highlighted a worrying trend, with hospitalizations peaking at 18.8% and the previous week seeing a 17.6% increase in COVID-19-related deaths. Alarmingly, substantial increases in hospitalizations have been reported in at least 26 states.
One of the major challenges, however, is linked to data accessibility. With the US scaling back most of its testing and data reporting systems, healthcare professionals are increasingly reliant on limited sources for this data, including CDC reports, local health information, specific hospital data, and wastewater surveillance. Especially with many hospitals discontinuing admission testing, the availability of accurate information is hampered. Nevertheless, hospital-based data remain critical in identifying health care-onset cases.
A recent study accentuates this point by revealing that hospital-onset SARS-CoV-2 infection rates were lower in hospitals where over 50% of patients were tested at admission than in those where only 25% to 50% were tested. Insufficient testing can lead to underreported cases, which is of concern as we face the emergence of new variants, such as BA.2.86.
This variant has reported a noticeable surge in cases, with evidence of its spread in countries including Denmark, the US, Sweden, the UK, South Africa, Portugal, Israel, and Canada. Its potential to cause a similar level of disruption as the Omicron variant remains to be seen, but to pre-empt this, efforts to bolster public health defenses such as early vaccine deployment are taking shape.
Simultaneously, it’s essential to reinforce the importance of other safety measures. Long-time infection preventionists recommend leveraging insights from the COVID-19 pandemic to enhance IPC program operations and build a framework of patient safety. They suggest using the pandemic as a catalyst to drive collaboration and improve strategic responses in times of crisis. Effective interventions like Electronic Hand Hygiene Monitoring Systems can significantly impact our fight against health care-associated infections, underscoring the need for digital health in the future of IPC.
In other news, the recent voluntary recall of all Dr. Berne’s Whole Health products’ eye drops post an FDA warning reiterates the importance of rigorous product safety standards in safeguarding public health. With escalating COVID-19 hospitalizations, both the healthcare workforce and patients are advocating for more stringent safety standards.
Infection prevention after 175 years still remains a top 10 cause of death, emphasizing not only the importance of enhanced safety protocols, but also the adoption of innovative technologies like hand hygiene monitoring tools to propel transformation in the field.
Source: https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/hot-topics-ipc-today-covid-19-cases-new-variant-uv-c-disinfection-and-more