Multisociety statement on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination as a condition of employment for healthcare personnel.

This consensus statement by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) and the Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine (AMDA), the Association for Professionals in Epidemiology and Infection Control (APIC), the HIV Medicine Association (HIVMA), the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (PIDS), and the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists (SIDP) recommends that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination should be a condition of employment for all healthcare personnel in facilities in the United States. Exemptions from this policy apply to those with medical contraindications to all COVID-19 vaccines available in the United States and other exemptions as specified by federal or state law. The consensus statement also supports COVID-19 vaccination of nonemployees functioning at a healthcare facility (eg, students, contract workers, volunteers, etc).

Utilizing technology to enhance screening for highly infectious diseases.

Quick identification and isolation of patients with highly infectious diseases is extremely important in healthcare settings today. This study focused on the creation of a digital screening tool using a free and publicly available digital survey application to screen patients during a measles outbreak in New York City. The results indicate that digital tools are an effective alternative to paper tools due to their ease of use and remote compliance monitoring capabilities.

Putative invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in critically ill patients with COVID-19: An observational study from New York City.

BACKGROUND: Critically ill patients with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) are at the theoretical risk of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) due to known risk factors. PATIENTS/METHODS: We aimed to describe the clinical features of COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis at a single centre in New York City. We performed a retrospective chart review of all patients with COVID-19 with Aspergillus isolated from respiratory cultures. RESULTS: A total of seven patients with COVID-19 who had one or more positive respiratory cultures for Aspergillus fumigatus were identified, all of whom were mechanically ventilated in the ICU. Four patients were classified as putative IPA. The median age was 79 years, and all patients were male. The patients had been mechanically ventilated for a mean of 6.8 days (range: 1-14 days) before Aspergillus isolation. Serum galactomannan level was positive for only one patient. The majority of our cases received much higher doses of glucocorticoids than the dosage with a proven mortality benefit. All four patients died. CONCLUSIONS: Vigilance for secondary fungal infections will be needed to reduce adverse outcomes in critically ill patients with COVID-19.