This issue covers some of the most significant news from April. Topics include nursing home citations, urological endoscopes, antimicrobial resistance, airborne transmission of COVID, and C. diff.

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Infection Control Immediate Jeopardy Citations Tripled in 2020 – and Nursing Homes Should Expect Even More — An analysis of citations of non-compliance with federal regulations received by nursing homes showed that the F-tag F880, for the presence of an infection prevention and control program, was cited more than 11,500 times in 2020.

FDA is Investigating Reports of Infections Associated with Reprocessed Urological Endoscopes — From Jan. 1, 2017, through Feb. 20, 2021, the FDA received more than 450 medical device reports describing post-procedure patient infections or other possible contamination issues associated with reprocessing urological endoscopes.

Antibiotic Development, Stewardship Advocates See Window of Opportunity — Many clinicians, scientists, and public health advocates are calling for renewed attention to antimicrobial resistance, which was in the spotlight before the pandemic.

Long-Term Care Remains in the Dark About Infection Preventionist Requirements — Long-term care providers remain in the dark as to who will fit the federal government's final infection preventionist criteria.

FDA Recommends Transition from Use of Decontaminated Disposable Respirators — FDA announced that healthcare personnel and facilities should transition away from crisis capacity conservation strategies, such as decontamination and bioburden reduction systems.

Top Violation at Iowa Nursing Homes: Infection Control — The most frequently cited healthcare violations in Iowa nursing homes in 2020 were related to infection control. From what the ICCS team has witnessed, this is likely the case in most, if not all states.

Experts Provide 10 Reasons Why the Coronavirus is Airborne — An assessment of published research led researchers to conclude that COVID-19 is predominantly transmitted through the air and had them calling for immediate implementation of public health measures focused on protecting against such transmission.

Doctor Group Advises Shorter Antibiotic Course for Common Infections — The American College of Physicians released new guidelines recommending a short course of antibiotics for four common inpatient bacterial infections in inpatient and outpatient settings.

Open the Windows to Curb COVID Spread: Experts — Opening windows and ventilating spaces should be at the heart of efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19, a group of experts stated.

Antibiotic Stewardship Program Implementation Reduces Antibiotic Use — A study of more than 400 hospitals offers takeaways for creating hospital antibiotic stewardship programs.

Diabetes Drug Could Protect Against Dangerous Infection — Researchers have demonstrated that a common diabetes drug inhibits the spread of Clostridioides difficile (C. diff).

Overprescribing of Certain Antibiotics Might Cause C. Diff — A study showed that greatly reducing the prescribing of carbapenems and third- and fourth-generation cephalosporin antibiotics can help contain the spread of C. diff.