Update - HHS Point of Care (POC) Test Results Reporting Requirements. CMS-certified nursing homes may use NHSN or the VDH Portal to report COVID-19 POC positive test results (negative test results no longer required to be reported). Facilities will only need to report to one system, as results from NHSN will be sent directly to the state and local health departments. If facilities choose to report to NHSN, they must first upgrade their SAMS access to Level 3. Facilities should report individual COVID-19 POC test results (positive) within 24 hours regardless of the system that is utilized. Information on reporting in NHSN, including POC Testing Reporting Tool FAQs, can be found on the NHSN LTCF website.

Project Firstline (PFL). The VDH HAI/AR Program is hosting PFL watch parties! Participate in a livestream of PFL training content and discuss topics within a watch party group. These basic training sessions can empower all frontline staff! Visit the VDH Project Firstline webpage for more information or check below to register for the last three sessions:

Environmental Cleaning and Disinfection Basics, Thursday May 5, 2022 from 1:00-1:30 PM EST, Register here
Ventilation, Source Control, and Hand Hygiene, Thursday, May 12, 2022, from 1:00 - 1:30 PM EST, Register here
How COVID-19 Spreads, Thursday May 19, 2022, from 1:00 - 1:30 PM EST, Register here

Virginia Infection Prevention Training Center (VIPTC). Did you miss the deadline for registering for the next VIPTC Infection Prevention course?  Don't worry, more courses will be held in Fall 2022. Visit the VIPTC website for more information on upcoming training opportunities.

Strategies to prevent central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) in acute-care hospitals: 2022 Update. Updated CLABSI prevention guidance was published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology (ICHE) on April 19, 2022. 

APIC- Between a Rock and a Hard Place (March 2022): The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) infection preventionist members have always played a pivotal role in maintaining the health of patients, employees, and visitors to healthcare facilities, and communities at large. However, when the coronavirus pandemic hit, their prominence and importance within healthcare organizations grew. Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Recommendations for Balancing Patient Safety and Pandemic Response explores the lessons infection preventionists have learned during their fight against COVID-19. 

The specific recommendations from the report include:

• Develop next-generation universal PPE for a one-size-fits-all device to protect healthcare workers
• Normalize the use of masks by the public during outbreaks of infectious diseases, building trust among the American people of their effectiveness
• Address supply chain failures to ensure greater diversity in production locations and expanded ease of access
• Require that health facilities include personnel with IPC expertise on emergency response teams to ensure the safety of response practices
• Protect nursing home residents ensuring that each nursing home has at least one dedicated infection prevention expert on staff
• Build and implement IPC surge capacity to ensure the continuity of safe patient care during a pandemic
• Increase capacity for testing and contact tracing to control disease spread during a pandemic
• Ensure rapid healthcare data collection and sharing to optimize strategies to prevent disease transmission
• Build vaccine confidence to combat misinformation and dissuade hesitancy
• Fund pandemic preparedness workforce capacity and training with incentives for universities to create a pathway to the infection prevention profession

CDC’s Antibiotic Resistance Website: CDC is excited to introduce you to their updated antibiotic resistance website, refreshed to better engage and share information on antibiotic resistance (AR) in the United States and around the world. We all have a role to play—from travelers, animal owners, and caregivers to patients and healthcare providers—to fight this deadly threat and now you can quickly access CDC’s latest resources. Check out CDC’s Refreshed Website, Restructured by Audience. 

Share print and digital educational resources, including fact sheets, social media graphics, videos, and stories Read about five ways resistance emerges and spreads Learn about national infection and death estimates, and how CDC tracks and monitors U.S. resistance threats Find how CDC is combating antibiotic resistance, plus ways you can fight antibiotic resistance—no matter where you are: your community, healthcare facility, health department, veterinarian office, or livestock and poultry facility New CDC’s Antibiotic Resistance Twitter Handle: Follow @CDC_AR on Twitter to stay informed with the newest AR data and resources from CDC, plus be in-the-know on upcoming events and webinars.

Regional Containment Webinar Series: The next Regional Containment Webinar: The Role of Hand Hygiene in Limiting the Spread of MDROs will be held on Wednesday, May 18, 2022 from 12:00 - 1:00 PM EST. Register now for Hand Hygiene webinar. Free CE Available.

Projecting COVID-19 Mortality as States Relax Nonpharmacologic Interventions (NPI): A study was conducted using simulation modeling to project COVID-19 deaths in each of the 50 US states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico assuming different timing of the lifting of NPIs. The study used the high transmissibility of Delta and Omicron in their projections and predicts that high mortality rates will be linked to the emergence of these highly transmitted variants. Read the full article at JAMA Network.