Adapting and thriving, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) partnership

ABSTRACT

To adapt means “to become adjusted to new conditions.” Nothing could summarize infection prevention more succinctly since the start of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The emerging science around the novel severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) required constant adaptation of infection prevention practices. Inventive methods extended supplies of single-use personal protective equipment (PPE) during critical shortages. The infection prevention community adapted HAI reporting to include COVID-19. Hospitals altered e-mail systems, schedules, and more to achieve mass vaccination of healthcare personnel with the new mRNA vaccines and the delicate storage conditions these vaccines require. The list goes on.