NewsU.S. drills completed masking and isolation together in 60% of 73 outbreak simulations
In CDC’s January–June simulations, median time to masking was 2 minutes and to isolation 11 minutes.
Event / data period: 2026-10-01
Published: · Updated:
IllustrationA CDC report published on 1 October in MMWR evaluated 73 unannounced drills held from January through June 2026 in health facilities in New York, New Jersey and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Each used a professional patient actor simulating an avian influenza A(H5) case.
Symptom screening took place in 68 drills. Patients were appropriately masked in 60, with a median of 2 minutes from arrival to masking; isolation occurred in 52, with a median interval of 11 minutes. Both steps were completed in 44 drills, which the report described as 60%.
Targets were no more than 1 minute to masking and 10 minutes to isolation. Facilities evaluated actors following a standard scenario, not real infected patients, so the findings describe drill performance. The authors also reported inconsistent use of recommended protective equipment.
Data
Drill results
Unannounced A(H5) scenario drills with professional patient actors.
- Drills completing both masking and isolation
- 44 drills
- 2026 · Observed
- Total drills
- 73 drills
- 2026 · Observed
- Median time from arrival to masking
- 2 minutes
- 2026 · Observed
- Median time from arrival to isolation
- 11 minutes
- 2026 · Observed
Methodology
73 drills during January–June 2026; counts measure simulations, not real-patient care.
Updated:
Subjects and places
Subject proposals
- healthSuggested
- Preserved editorial category/topic; broad candidate onlywww.cdc.gov ↗
Geographic references
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- United States of America · United States of America · Place role: Coverage · Place type: Country or area · Location precision: RegionalEvidence
- Explicit preserved editorial country/region; no city or national centroid inferredwww.cdc.gov ↗