HAIs May Be Rising Amid Pandemic

Because the pandemic is stressing an already stretched group of infectious disease specialists,  hospital-acquired infections may be on the rise, according to an article on the Advisory Board website.

The number of U.S. providers specializing in and focused on infectious diseases at hospitals is fairly small. In 2017, there were around 9,100 infectious disease physicians in the country significantly fewer than physicians in some other specialties.

"There has been a tremendous strain placed on infection preventionists during this [epidemic]," Connie Steed, president of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) said in the article.

Also, some evidence suggests Covid-19 patients may be more vulnerable to HAIs.

A new study has shown that there are two broad microbial communities within hospitals that may contribute to hospital-acquired infections, according to a Modern Healthcare article.

Community type A sites were  associated with surfaces that are touched frequently by patients and healthcare workers. Community type B sites, meanwhile, were sites like sink traps. 

Read the full Advisory Board article.