Infection Control

The World Health Organization is seeking up to 25 experts for its newly launched Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens. 

COVID-19 may be most infectious in the two days before and three days after symptom onset while patients are mildly or moderately ill, according to research published Aug. 23 in JAMA Internal Medicine. 

Most patients who contracted COVID-19 during their stay at a U.K. hospital got it from other patients, not hospital staff, according to a study published Aug. 24 in eLife.

Elbert Memorial Hospital has tapped two sanitizing robots to help disinfect its facilities, the organization said Aug. 17.

Clear plastic barriers have become a staple in many public settings amid the pandemic, but scientists say they often do little to prevent COVID-19's spread, and at times, may actually make things worse, The New York Times reported Aug. 19. 

The Tennessee Hospital Association is urging communities to help combat COVID-19 as every hospital in the state experiences capacity issues. "Every hospital in our state is experiencing capacity issues due to the surge in COVID patients," Wendy Long, MD, CEO…

A dozen staff members at Durango, Colo.-based Mercy Regional Medical Center have tested positive for COVID-19, The Durango Herald reported Aug. 16.

More than 1 in 10 COVID-19 patients during the first wave of the pandemic contracted their infection while in the hospital, according to research findings based on an analysis from 314 U.K. hospitals. 

Two providers in New Jersey were cited by the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration after an investigation determined they didn't ensure nurses safely used respirators while administering flu shots and COVID-19 tests.

State CDC officials are investigating COVID-19 outbreaks among staff at Portland-based Maine Medical Center and Belfast, Maine-based Waldo County General Hospital, reports The Portland Press Herald.