Initial assessments of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) preparedness revealed resource shortages and variations in infection prevention policies across US hospitals. Our follow-up survey revealed improvement in resource availability, increase in testing capacity, and uniformity in infection prevention policies. Most importantly, the survey highlighted an increase in staffing shortages and use of travel nursing.

We assessed Oxivir Tb wipe disinfectant residue in a controlled laboratory setting to evaluate low environmental contamination of SARS-CoV-2. Frequency of viral RNA detection was not statistically different between intervention and control arms on day 3 (P=0.14). Environmental contamination viability is low; residual disinfectant did not significantly contribute to low contamination.

Among nursing home outbreaks of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) with ≥3 breakthrough infections when the predominant severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variant circulating was the SARS-CoV-2 δ (delta) variant, fully vaccinated residents were 28% less likely to be infected than were unvaccinated residents. Once infected, they had approximately half the risk for all-cause hospitalization and all-cause death compared with unvaccinated infected residents.

Barriers are commonly installed in workplace situations where physical distancing cannot be maintained, but their effectiveness in decreasing viral transmission is unknown. In simulations, physical barriers with no openings were effective in reducing contamination with an aerosolized benign virus or fluorescent microspheres, but barriers with openings were not.

We assessed the efficacy of a culturally competent outreach model with promotoras in raising the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) first-dose vaccination rates in Chicago’s at-risk ZIP codes from February through May 2021. Utilizing community members from within target communities may reduce barriers, increase vaccination rates, and enhance COVID-19 prevention.

Hospital-acquired Aspergillus rates among coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients were initially higher at a hospital with high negative-pressure room utilization compared to a similar hospital with low utilization but with otherwise identical infection control policies. After the index hospital decreased negative-pressure utilization, hospital-acquired Aspergillus case rates at the 2 hospitals converged.

Hospital-associated fungal infections from construction and renovation activities can be mitigated using an infection control risk assessment (ICRA) and implementation of infection prevention measures. The effectiveness of these measures depends on proper installation and maintenance. Consistent infection prevention construction rounding with feedback is key to ongoing compliance.

We have demonstrated the effect of covering an N95 filtering facepiece respirator (FFR) with an overlying face mask. In total, 100 participants successfully completed quantitative fit testing wearing a 3M 1870+ FFR. Among them, 13 (13%; 95% CI, 7%–22%) failed subsequent fit testing when simultaneously wearing a Halyard 47117 procedural mask over the FFR.

Effective hospital environmental cleaning requires proper technique and training. Highlight is a novel additive that colorizes bleach wipes to help visualize wiped surfaces and fades to colorless to confirm effective cleaning. In a 401-bed hospital study, Highlight reduced fluorescent marker removal failure rates from a baseline of 12.4% to 0.6%.