Becker's Clinical Quality & Infection Control

11 INFECTION CONTROL Brigham and Women's COVID-19 outbreak traced to patient who tested negative twice By Mackenzie Bean A patient who tested negative for COVID-19 twice in 24 hours is likely the source of Brigham and Women's Hospital COVID-19 outbreak involving more than 50 people last fall, researchers said in an analysis published Feb. 9 in Annals of Internal Medicine. e Boston-based hospital detected the COVID-19 cluster in September 2020 that ultimately sickened 14 patients and 38 staff members. Aer the outbreak was contained, researchers conducted an in-depth analysis to understand how the virus spread through the hospital. Researchers traced the cluster to a patient who tested negative for the virus upon admission and again 12 hours later via polymerase chain reaction testing. e patient had pulmonary disease and received nebulizer treatments — a liquid medication administered as a fine mist patients inhale. Staff members said the patient coughed frequently and was not speaking clearly, so staff members had to lean in closely to hear. Researchers said this individ- ual likely infected several staff members, along with patients who shared a room with the individual. Researchers also interviewed 32 sickened staff mem- bers and 128 uninfected but exposed employees. ey found infected staff were more likely to have: • Been present while patients received nebulizers • Interacted with SARS-CoV-2-positive staff members in clinical areas • Spent more time exposed to COVID-19 patients • Not have worn eye protection In at least two cases, staff members also reported getting infected despite wearing proper personal protective equipment. "Case clusters are the exception rather than the rule in healthcare settings," Michael Klompas, MD, an infectious disease physician and hospital epidemiolo- gist at Brigham and Women's, said in a news release. "But this cluster and others show that if there is a cluster, we can contain it, and that there are multiple proactive measures we can take to decrease the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in hospitals." n Speed to market is top reason for healthcare staff's COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, infection control leaders say By Mackenzie Bean I nfection preventionists cited the COVID-19 vaccines' quick mar- ket entry as the most common reason other healthcare workers have been hesitant to get vaccinated, according to a Feb. 10 survey from the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. The survey is based on responses from 1,598 infection preven- tionists nationwide polled between Jan. 20 and Jan. 25. Of these respondents, 94 percent have been offered the vaccine. A majority (85 percent) of infection preventionists said they've been vaccinated; 2 percent have a vaccine appointment scheduled; and 5 percent said they plan to get the vaccine later. Seventy-two percent of infection control leaders cited the vaccine's speed to market as the main concern contributing to vaccine hes- itancy among staff members at their organization. Other reasons included fear of adverse events (60 percent), use of new vaccine technology (50 percent) and a lack of concern about getting sick from COVID-19 (24 percent). "Clearly, the nation's infection preventionists believe in the safety, effectiveness and necessity of COVID-19 vaccines," the associa- tion's President Ann Marie Pettis, RN, BSN, said in a news release. "As experts in infection prevention, IPs are in a unique position to influence and encourage vaccine uptake among other healthcare professionals and the public. If we think the vaccines are safe, we believe others should feel assured." n Study: HPV vaccine hesitancy is rising By Erica Carbajal P arents' hesitancy surrounding the human papillomavirus vaccine grew from 50.4 percent in 2012 to 64 percent in 2018, despite more providers recommending the HPV vaccine to their adolescent patients, according to research published in the February edition of Pediatrics. Researchers analyzed data from the CDC's National Immunization Survey from 2012-2018 and found that parental reluctance to initiate the HPV vaccine series for girls increased from 54.1 percent to 68.1 percent. For boys, parental reluctance for the vaccine rose from 44.4 percent to 59.2 percent over the six-year period. Overall, there were 7.3 million vaccine-eligible U.S. adolescents who were unvaccinated in 2018, the study's data showed. "Our findings imply that recommendations alone will not lead to sub- stantial improvements in vaccine update," the study said. "Providers should proactively use tools such as motivational interviewing and presumptive announcements when they encounter hesitancy." n

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