Data from the National Healthcare Safety Network were analyzed to assess the impact of COVID-19 on the incidence of healthcare-associated infections (HAI) during 2021. Standardized infection ratios were significantly higher than those during the prepandemic period, particularly during 2021-Q1 and 2021-Q3. The incidence of HAI was elevated during periods of high COVID-19 hospitalizations.

Using data from the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN), we assessed changes to intensive care unit (ICU) bed capacity during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Changes in capacity varied by hospital type and size. ICU beds increased by 36%, highlighting the pressure placed on hospitals during the pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: The rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 throughout key regions of the United States (U.S.) in early 2020 placed a premium on timely, national surveillance of hospital patient censuses. To meet that need, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN), the nation's largest hospital surveillance system, launched a module for collecting hospital COVID-19 data. This paper presents time series estimates of the critical hospital capacity indicators during April 1-July 14, 2020. DESIGN: From March 27-July 14, 2020, NHSN collected daily data on hospital bed occupancy, number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19, and availability/use of mechanical ventilators. Time series were constructed using multiple imputation and survey weighting to allow near real-time daily national and state estimates to be computed. RESULTS: During the pandemic's April peak in the United States, among an estimated 431,000 total inpatients, 84,000 (19%) had COVID-19. Although the number of inpatients with COVID-19 decreased during April to July, the proportion of occupied inpatient beds increased steadily. COVID-19 hospitalizations increased from mid-June in the South and Southwest after stay-at-home restrictions were eased. The proportion of inpatients with COVID-19 on ventilators decreased from April to July. CONCLUSIONS: The NHSN hospital capacity estimates served as important, near-real time indicators of the pandemic's magnitude, spread, and impact, providing quantitative guidance for the public health response. Use of the estimates detected the rise of hospitalizations in specific geographic regions in June after declining from a peak in April. Patient outcomes appeared to improve from early April to mid-July.