Elbert Memorial Hospital has tapped two sanitizing robots to help disinfect its facilities, the organization said Aug. 17.

Clear plastic barriers have become a staple in many public settings amid the pandemic, but scientists say they often do little to prevent COVID-19's spread, and at times, may actually make things worse, The New York Times reported Aug. 19. 

The Tennessee Hospital Association is urging communities to help combat COVID-19 as every hospital in the state experiences capacity issues. "Every hospital in our state is experiencing capacity issues due to the surge in COVID patients," Wendy Long, MD, CEO of the THA, said in an Aug. 19 statement. 

A dozen staff members at Durango, Colo.-based Mercy Regional Medical Center have tested positive for COVID-19, The Durango Herald reported Aug. 16.

More than 1 in 10 COVID-19 patients during the first wave of the pandemic contracted their infection while in the hospital, according to research findings based on an analysis from 314 U.K. hospitals. 

Two providers in New Jersey were cited by the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration after an investigation determined they didn't ensure nurses safely used respirators while administering flu shots and COVID-19 tests.

State CDC officials are investigating COVID-19 outbreaks among staff at Portland-based Maine Medical Center and Belfast, Maine-based Waldo County General Hospital, reports The Portland Press Herald.

Ultrasound is a versatile medical technology used in almost every healthcare department across a spectrum of specialties and procedures. Infection preventionists (IPs) and quality and risk managers understand the challenges of ensuring system wide compliance with best practice ultrasound infection prevention and the need to respond to clinical developments. Nanosonics is dedicated to developing solutions for facilities that partner with these responses, enabling standardization and clinical integration to enhance patient and staff safety.

Hand hygiene, as a principle for safety in hospitals, has been around for over a century,” Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, said. However, despite the well-understood importance of hand hygiene in healthcare, many hospitals still struggle to achieve high levels of protocol adherence, which can increase the risk of hospital-acquired infections.

Patients undergoing surgery or other medical procedures should get tested for COVID-19 within three days of their procedure, regardless of their vaccination status, two anesthesiologist groups said in updated guidelines released Aug. 4. 

Patients who had an appointment at their physician's office after a flu patient had visited the same practice were 31.8 percent more likely to catch the illness than unexposed patients, according to research published in the August edition of Health Affairs.

U.S. health officials continue to keep a close eye on the spread of Candida auris, a deadly, drug-resistant fungus the CDC has identified in 18 states and Washington D.C., between May 2020 and April 2021. 

A Michigan man tested positive for Candida auris this spring, marking the state's first confirmed case of the deadly, drug-resistant fungus since the CDC started tracking it in 2016, the Detroit Free Press reported July 29. 

The CDC has released new testing recommendations for people fully vaccinated against COVID-19, advising vaccinated Americans to be tested if they are exposed to COVID-19, even if they don't have symptoms. 

President Joe Biden announced July 29 that all federal workers are to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo regular testing, reports The Washington Post.

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont has nominated Manisha Juthani, MD, an infectious disease physician at New Haven-based Yale Medicine, to be commissioner of the state's public health department.

The CDC released new guidance July 27 recommending fully vaccinated Americans resume wearing masks indoors in certain regions of the U.S. 

The Department of Veterans Affairs is mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for 115,000 of its front-line healthcare workers, the first federal agency to do so, officials announced July 26, as reported by The New York Times.

Johnson City, Tenn.-based Ballad Health has notified about 100 patients of a potential exposure to hepatitis A, hepatitis B or HIV due to improper medication practices, NBC affiliate WCYB reported July 23.

The CDC released updated guidelines on treating sexually transmitted infections July 22.