Infection Control

Mayo Clinic is tightening visitor guidelines at its flagship campus in Rochester, Minn., effective Jan. 3. 

Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic is prohibiting certain types of face coverings and urging patients and visitors to ditch the cloth versions, citing the variability in cloth mask performance.

Infection with the highly transmissible omicron COVID-19 variant may lead to a fourfold increase in protection against the delta strain, according to early study findings from the Africa Health Research Institute published Dec. 28. 

Candida auris, a deadly, drug-resistant fungus, has been detected in three Salem (Ore.) Health patients, marking the state's first cases of the infection. 

New York City Health and Hospitals, which operates the city's 11 public hospitals, put visitation limitation policies in place Dec. 22 after visitors were linked to a COVID-19 outbreak at one facility, The New York Times reported.

In an effort to prevent further strain on the healthcare system, U.S. health officials may soon trim the 10-day isolation period recommended by the CDC for asymptomatic healthcare workers with COVID-19. 

The Agency of Healthcare Research and Quality has granted $2.5 million to Cleveland Clinic to lead a clinical trial that studies ways to cut the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics among patients with community-acquired pneumonia, the health system said Dec. 9. 

Eleven employees at Kaiser Permanente Oakland (Calif.) Medical Center tested positive for COVID-19 after attending a wedding Nov. 27 in Wisconsin, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens hasn't reported any central line-associated bloodstream infections among intensive care unit patients for three consecutive years, the New York City-based hospital said Dec. 7. 

The CDC has given $22 million to 28 organizations to fight antimicrobial resistance and infectious diseases, according to a Dec. 7 news release.