There are currently three COVID-19 vaccines authorized under an Emergency Use Authorization in the US and across the US, everyone 16 years or older is currently eligible for vaccination with at least one of the vaccines, with expansion of eligibility down to age 12 likely soon. The vaccine coverage among eligible individuals remains uneven, but high coverage among adults has been achieved in some settings.

Severe COVID-19 is associated with critical illness and immune dysregulation, both of which have been previously associated with increased risk of nosocomial infection. The care of COVID-19 patients has required dramatic changes to usual hospital practices and heightened concern for infection control practices. This is a brief summary of published evidence related to the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on non-COVID infections.

This updated in-depth summary (previously released on December 21, 2020) is issued in response to new information that we received about updated definitions of aerosol particles that show that larger respiratory particles (<100 μm) can remain airborne for extended periods, and that in enclosed areas with poor ventilation, these aerosols containing infectious SARS-CoV-2 can spread beyond 6 feet and build up in a room. We apologize for not including this information in the earlier version of this summary.

By Ryan Blethen Seattle Times staff reporter

Nearly eight months after the pandemic was declared, researchers are gaining a more complete understanding of how the new coronavirus affects people.

One thing they’re noticing as time goes on: some people diagnosed with COVID-19 feel sick long after contracting the virus.