APIC strongly recommends members to ignore CDC’s latest guidelines on masking

The latest easing on the masking guidelines for healthcare specialists by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) appears to be a little hasty to a professional company.

According to a press release, the APIC (Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology) says that the infection preventionists (IPs) should not pay attention to the new recommendation by the CDC and should stay with the compulsory masking requirements for first-line healthcare professionals who have to work very close to the patients.

APIC says, “Our members clearly understand that the pandemic is not over. Numerous indicators, including wastewater surveillance and rising case counts overseas, point to a potential wave of new COVID-19 cases in the coming months. When that happens, we will have to shift back to universal masking. Having a policy that changes back and forth is confusing to healthcare personnel and erodes trust. Furthermore, rising COVID cases could lead to healthcare worker shortages, a situation we all want to avoid.”

APIC represents nearly 15,000 IPs, who gained demands when the pandemic came into being. This is because their responsibility is the safety of the patients as well as the hospital staff.

Last month the recommendations for the healthcare workforce were updated by the CDC in which they removed the requirements for masks for these professionals. However, wearing a mask will still be recommended for the workforce present in areas where the spread of the virus is still a notable possibility. CDC considers about 75% of the United States counties to be the aforementioned areas.

APIC desires to keep the masking in place for the professionals, however, it does recognize that the healthcare workforce also wants to move on from the pandemic just like the rest of the nation.

APIC stated that it understands that most healthcare staff are now tired of wearing the mask but believes that removing the mask is not a good decision for anyone considering the nation is predicted to see a harsh flu season ahead. APIC also mentioned that another covid rise could be in the works and CDC’s covid data has a week-long lag which could cause a delay in the detection of a possible surge.

The opinion is shared by Lisa Waldowski of the Wellstar Health System in Georgia. She said that the virus is here to stay and taking off the mask merely because the effort is tiring is a violation of infection prevention and control. She claims that infection prevention is not practiced the safe way, but the hard way.

John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reported 50,956 new cases of the virus on Friday, while also reporting 450 deaths in the states.

In a press release, APIC said that the reason they stay up to date on immunizations is that it is their obligation to protect the people who are under their care. APIC wants to ensure the safety of the patients by keeping the requirement of masks for patients and employees at the healthcare premises.