Pak TR, Chen T, Kanjilal S, McKenna CS, Rhee C, Klompas M. Testing and Masking Policies and Hospital-Onset Respiratory Viral Infections. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(11):e2448063. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.48063 In this study, stopping universal masking and SARS-CoV-2 testing was associated with a significant increase in hospital-onset respiratory viral infections relative to community infections. Restarting the masking of health care workers was associated with a significant decrease. Limitations of our analysis included a lack of concurrent controls, possible variations in compliance, difficulty disentangling effects of testing vs masking, and potential case misclassification. However, medical record reviews suggested most hospital-onset cases were true acute cases. Nosocomial respiratory viral infections remain associated with increased length of stay and higher mortality in hospitalized populations.2-4 Our data suggest that masking5 and testing6 were 2 potentially effective measures to protect patients who are hospitalized, particularly when community respiratory virus incidence rates were elevated.
I really feel like this study determined that the tub stopped overflowing once the tap was shut off and the drain plug was pulled. It does seem that obvious.
But I guess we need 10 more studies like this before supposedly educated doctors and healthcare providers and facility executives and public health officials wake up and smell the coffee and pick up the damn clue phone and actually do something about hospital acquired infections. Or we need to keep pressing elected representatives to be responsible for actually doing their job and stepping up to what it takes to face public health challenges with solutions that are both science-based and often obvious common sense.