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6 INFECTION CONTROL Don't write off neck gaiters yet, researchers say By Mackenzie Bean N eck gaiters are a viable option to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and are likely better than wearing no mask at all, researchers and health experts told The New York Times. Backlash against neck gaiters, a thin tube of fabric worn around the neck, erupted in mid-August when researchers pub- lished a study detailing a new, inexpen- sive method of testing the effectiveness of face masks. Researchers found that people wearing neck gaiters and bandanas emit- ted a higher droplet count when speaking than control tests involving no masks. However, researchers have since said their findings have been misconstrued. "Our intent was not to say this mask doesn't work, or never use neck gaiters," study author Martin Fischer, PhD, a chemist and physicist at Durham, N.C.- based Duke University, told the Times. "Our intent was for this technology to get out there so companies and organizations can test their own masks. A mask doesn't have to be perfect for it to work." Aer the study came out, Linsey Marr, PhD, an aerosol scientist at Blacks- burg-based Virginia Tech and leading expert in airborne disease transmission, conducted her own research on neck gaiters with Jin Pan, a graduate student studying biological particles. e pair found that neck gaiters prevented 100 percent of large 20-micron drop- lets and at least 50 percent of 1-micron aerosols. Some homemade cloth masks performed worse than gaiters. e Virginia Tech researchers concluded that masks or coverings that have two layers of fabric and fit snugly offer the most protection. "I've been recommending neck gaiters, and my kids wear neck gaiters," Dr. Marr told the Times. "ere's nothing inherent about a neck gaiter that should make it any worse than a cloth mask. It comes down to the fabric and how well it fits." n CDC shares flu shot recommendations for 2020-21 season By Mackenzie Bean T he CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices shared updated flu vaccine recommendations for the 2020-21 season in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published Aug. 21. The committee recommends healthcare providers offer flu shots to everyone 6 months and older with no contraindications by the end of October. Inactivated, recombinant and live attenuated flu vaccines will be available this season. This year's flu shot composition includes updates to the following strains: • Influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 • Influenza A(H3N2) • Influenza B/Victoria lineage components The recommendations also include information on two new vaccines de- signed to achieve a stronger immune response in people 65 and over. n How the pandemic is affecting HAI rates: 5 things to know By Mackenzie Bean E arly data from two hospitals in New York City and St. Louis suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic will cause an uptick in some healthcare-asso- ciated infections, researchers wrote in a commentary published in the American Journal of Infection Control. Five things to know: 1. CMS suspended HAI reporting requirements through June, allowing infection preventionists to shift their focus to COVID-19 emergency response activities. As a result, these leaders have spent less time on HAI surveillance and prevention efforts, researchers said. 2. While it is still too early to fully assess how this shift will influence HAI incidence at hospitals nationwide, researchers noted large jumps in some infections at Mount Sinai Morningside in New York City and Christian Hospital in St. Louis. 3. Mount Sinai Morningside saw a 420 percent increase in central line-associ- ated bloodstream infection rates during the pandemic compared to the prior 15 months, while Christian Hospital reported a 324 percent jump. COVID-19 patients are at higher risk of CLABSI, so researchers said they expect this rate to rise the most of all HAIs amid the pandemic. 4. Researchers also suggested that catheter-associated urinary tract infection rates could increase, though data from Mount Sinai Morningside and Chris- tian Hospital show smaller jumps in these infections than CLABSI rates. 5. Mount Sinai Morningside and Christian Hospital reported a small de- crease in Clostridium difficile infections (52 percent and 45 percent, respec- tively), possibly due to a heightened focus on environmental cleaning, study authors said. n