March 3, 2026Open Access

Health Care–Associated Infections Among Neonates During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Key Points

Viral health care-associated infections decreased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, contrasting with stasis in bacterial and fungal infections.
The cohort study observed the effects of enhanced infection prevention measures in neonatal settings amid COVID-19.
Findings suggest that current measures may primarily benefit viral infection control rather than broader HAI prevention.
Implications highlight the need for tailored strategies beyond the pandemic context to effectively address bacterial and fungal infections.

Abstract

This cohort study found that viral HAIs decreased significantly during the pandemic, while bacterial or fungal HAIs did not. These findings suggest that the enhanced infection prevention measures used during the pandemic may be beneficial during periods of high viral activity but offer limited additional benefit for preventing bacterial or fungal HAI.

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Cite This Study

Addya et al. (Wed,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69a75bbac6e9836116a2399e https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.55623

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