In a drill between January and June 2026, actors visited 73 healthcare facilities—most in New York City (52), with 15 in New York outside the city, three in New Jersey, and three in the US Virgin Islands. Actors visited emergency departments (42), outpatient clinics (19), and urgent care centers (12). Facilities agreed to participate but didn’t know when the drill would occur.
Overall, only 60 percent (44 of 73) of facilities both masked and isolated the actors. About 55 percent of emergency departments did both, while 68 percent of clinics and 67 percent of urgent cares passed. Eighteen percent didn’t offer a mask to the coughing patient with a fever. Of those that masked and isolated, fewer than half did so within one minute (43 percent) or moved the patient to an isolation room within 10 minutes (48 percent). Median time to mask was 2 minutes; median time to isolation was 11 minutes.
Most facilities (93 percent) screened for symptoms, but only seven asked about bird flu exposure. Only 25 percent of clinicians wore all recommended PPE; 6 percent wore none. Nineteen percent didn’t wear a mask. Staff at only 55 percent (40 of 73) notified Infection Prevention and Control staff.
The poor pass rate and slow times spell trouble. “Health care facility waiting areas can be high-risk settings for transmission of respiratory viruses if appropriate IPC measures are not implemented,” authors note. Results may overestimate preparedness, as some facilities declined participation or may have had advance notice.
Source: Ars Technica · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing