A small specialty hospital that operates within DMC Sinai-Grace Hospital in Detroit is pausing admissions due to an outbreak of the deadly, drug-resistant fungus Candida auris, the Detroit Free Press reported April 20.

Health systems are weighing and making decisions for face masks to become optional for many individuals in certain spaces. 

Healthcare facilities nationwide are grappling with conflicting CDC guidelines on masking amid the pandemic, resulting in a patchwork of policies and practices, Politico reported April 5.

The CDC updated its COVID-19 infection control guidance March 24 to make it clear that healthcare facilities should permit patients and visitors to wear more highly protective masks, like N95s. 

U.S. health officials are poised to clarify guidelines on masking practices in hospitals after reports surfaced that facilities were asking patients and visitors to swap N95 masks for surgical masks, three sources familiar with the matter told Politico.

Adding aerosolized hydrogen peroxide to infection prevention protocols reduces the risk of Clostridioides difficile infections in healthcare settings, according to a study published March 17 in the American Journal of Infection Control.

Hospitals across the country often ask patients and visitors to swap out their N95s with surgical masks in line with CDC guidelines, which public health experts say are outdated, according to Politico.

The U.S. needs to bolster its infection prevention and control infrastructure to prepare for future pandemics and the rise of healthcare-associated infections, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology said in a March 8 report.

The Carl Vinson VA Medical Center in Dublin, Ga., said it has not identified any new infections after warning more than 4,000 patients in February that they may have been exposed to improperly sterilized medical equipment, The Telegraph reported March 4.

Becker's has compiled a list of all hospitals in the U.S. with the lowest Clostridioides difficile infection rates, as based on the healthcare-associated infections dataset from CMS.

New Mexico has the highest rate of central line-associated bloodstream infections, while Vermont has the lowest, according to the healthcare-associated infections dataset from CMS. 

Scientists have identified a structural reason why Clostridium difficile may be so difficult to eradicate, according to findings published Feb. 25 in Nature Communications. 

Vermont has the highest rate of catheter-associated urinary tract infections, while the District of Columbia has the lowest, according to the healthcare-associated infections dataset from CMS.

A case of measles has been confirmed in Snohomish County,Wash., with a potential exposure reported at Seattle Children's Hospital, according to a Feb. 21 health department news release. 

Beginning Feb. 24, Mayo Clinic will permit two "consistent designated visitors" per adult inpatient at its flagship campus in Rochester, Minn. 

Patients admitted to a hospital room previously occupied by a patient infected with Clostridioides difficile had 27 percent increased odds of being diagnosed with an infection, according to findings from researchers at Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University.  

With new metrics indicating rising healthcare-associated infections amid the pandemic, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology is calling on healthcare organizations to assess infection prevention capacity and strengthen prevention programs.

As patient safety declines amid the pandemic, the U.S. must rebuild a healthcare delivery system in which safety is embedded in every step of a process, with clear metrics that are aggregated, assessed and acted on, according to an analysis published Feb. 12 by The New England Journal of Medicine.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, metrics tracking healthcare-associated infections and other complications of care indicate significant deterioration of multiple patient safety measures, according to an analysis published Feb. 12 by The New England Journal of Medicine.

Carl Vinson VA Medical Center in Dublin, Ga., is providing free testing for blood-borne infections to more than 4,000 patients after learning they may have been exposed to improperly sterilized medical equipment, local CBS affiliate WMAZ reports.