HICPAC

HICPAC, the Healthcare Infection Control Advisory Committee, advises the CDC on guidelines for infection control in healthcare settings. Forbes reports that “The planned HICPAC revisions will water down infection control protections, particularly for aerosol transmission and MDRO (multiply drug-resistant organisms). Most immediately worrisome is their conclusion that plain surgical masks (aka “baggy blues”) are equivalent to N95s and provide adequate protection to healthcare workers and patients. There is abundant evidence to the contrary. It is clear that N95s offer far better protection against aerosols, such as from Covid-19, and other inhaled pathogens. More than 900 experts in infectious disease, public health, industrial hygiene, aerosol science, and ventilation engineering signed a letter to Mandy Cohen, MD, the new CDC director, explaining how the new draft guidelines weaken protections for healthcare workers.