By Dan Hounsell

Long-term care facilities were among the first and hardest-hit facilities when the COVID-19 pandemic erupted in February 2020. Now, as the pandemic comes under control in some areas, these facilities are turning more attention to infections impacted by the pandemic.

An emerging fungal infection is the latest risk facing long-term care facilities in Virginia after more than a year of weathering the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Virginia Mercury.

The yeast, Candida auris, has been deemed a serious global health threat by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, thanks to the longevity of its infections and its resistance to antifungal drugs. The number of cases identified in Virginia is still relatively small, but it represents a more than ten-fold increase compared to the previous two years — a concerning trend experts worry has been driven by coronavirus-related precautions.

Public health officials are concerned that the ongoing pandemic has presented unique opportunities for them to spread. As COVID-19 invaded long-term care facilities, a global shortage of personal protective equipment forced medical workers to reuse items such as gowns and N95 masks. Nursing homes, especially, spent months struggling to source basic supplies, and many are still reusing the normally disposable equipment.