Abstract
In our neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), patients are screened for colonization with Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and decolonized if positive. During the COVID-19 pandemic, our NICU significantly limited its visitor policy. We assessed for a difference between S.aureus colonization rates before and after the visitor policy change, which coincided with the exponential riseof COVID-19 cases in New York City (NYC). We calculated rates of newly S.aureus colonized NICU patients during January to June 2020 and compared rates pre- and post-implementation of the new visitor policy. Additionally, we obtained the weekly incidence ofCOVID-19 in NYC and assessed for a correlation between COVID-19 rates and S.aureus colonization. The number of newly colonized patients per thousand patient days was 4.65 pre- and 3.95 post-implementation of the new visitor policy. The difference was not statistically significant (p=0.66). Furthermore, there was no correlation between the incidence of COVID-19 in NYC and the rates of S.aureus colonization inour NICU (R2=0.02). Our results suggest that limiting visitation ofpatients is not associated with a decrease in S.aureus colonization rate. Hospital unit leaders may need to focuson other strategies in order to reduce colonization.
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