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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →In unannounced drills conducted from January through June 2026, 29 of 73 simulated patient encounters (39.7%) did not achieve both masking and isolation. That is the basis for the headline’s “40% failed”—it describes the drills, not 40% of all health facilities in the region. Passing the CDC’s combined measure meant the patient actor was both masked and isolated, regardless of how quickly those steps happened.
What the patient-zero drill tested
The exercise simulated a patient with signs and history compatible with avian influenza A(H5), a potentially serious infection. Professional patient actors portrayed adults aged 20–28 with pink eye, fever, malaise, muscle aches, and cough, but no recent travel. If asked about sick contacts, the actor described direct contact with a sick duck in Central Park. That detail tested whether staff asked about exposure rather than relying only on travel screening.
The New York University Standardized Patient Program conducted 73 unannounced drills in emergency departments, hospital outpatient clinics, and urgent care centers across New York, New Jersey, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The drills assessed symptom and exposure screening, masking, isolation, personal protective equipment (PPE), risk assessment, and notification practices. They used actors; no actual H5 infection or outbreak was involved. CDC’s October 2026 report describes the exercise and its results.
What “40% failed” means
CDC reported that 44 of 73 drills (60.3%) achieved both masking and isolation. The remaining 29 (39.7%) did not meet that combined criterion. A drill counted as successful even if masking or isolation took longer than the study’s timing targets; speed was measured separately.
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This is a result for the 73 drills at participating sites, not a representative estimate for every hospital or clinic. The total number of facilities invited was unavailable, and the authors note that some participants might have learned about a drill in advance or during its conduct.
Where readiness broke down
Symptom checks were common; H5 exposure questions were not
Symptom screening took place in 68 of 73 drills (93.2%), but only 7 of 73 (9.6%) included questions specific to avian influenza A(H5) exposure. The contrast matters because the actor had no recent travel: identifying the relevant contact depended on asking about sick contacts and animal exposure.
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Masking and isolation were not always prompt
The actor was masked in 60 of 73 drills (82.2%); the median time from arrival to masking was 2 minutes. Among the 58 drills with a timestamped masking measure, 25 (43.1%) met the study’s one-minute target. Isolation occurred in 52 of 73 drills (71.2%), with a median arrival-to-isolation time of 11 minutes; 25 of those 52 (48.1%) met the ten-minute target.
The one-minute masking and ten-minute isolation targets were selected to support prompt infection-control measures at the initial point of entry, based on prior drill findings. They are study targets, not universal legal standards or results from a trial of patient outcomes.
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Performance varied by care setting
Median isolation time was 20 minutes in hospital outpatient clinics, compared with 9.5 minutes in emergency departments and 9 minutes in urgent care centers. Urgent-care masking took a median of 5 minutes. The urgent-care comparison is based on only 12 drills, so it should be read cautiously.
PPE and internal notification were inconsistent
Clinicians used all recommended PPE in 25% of applicable encounters. The report’s examples of PPE include gloves, a mask, a gown, and eye protection. Internal infection prevention and control staff were notified, or scheduled to be notified, in 40 of 73 drills (54.8%).
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What the findings do—and do not—show
The authors of the CDC report say the drills identified a need for training so health care workers and facility staff can identify, mask, and isolate potentially infectious febrile patients earlier. They also warn that waiting areas can be high-risk settings for respiratory-virus transmission if appropriate infection prevention and control measures are not implemented.
The evaluation covered 52 drills (71.2%) in New York City, 15 (20.5%) elsewhere in New York, three (4.1%) in New Jersey, and three (4.1%) in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Puerto Rico did not participate. The findings therefore describe participating settings in those jurisdictions; they are not a national survey or a direct measure of transmission or patient outcomes. The unavailable invitation denominator also prevents calculating how participating sites compare with all facilities approached.
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What a facility can take from the exercise
The results point to a chain of readiness tasks, not a single mask or isolation decision. A screening question only helps if staff can recognize a relevant answer, promptly mask the patient, move them to an appropriate space, use the required PPE, and notify infection-prevention staff.
Quick Recap
- Ask about relevant animal and sick-contact exposure, not only recent travel.
- Make patient masks easy to access at the point of entry and clarify who offers one.
- Define a prompt isolation route for each care setting, including outpatient and urgent-care workflows.
- Ensure staff know which PPE applies and where it is kept.
- Set clear responsibility and a reliable channel for notifying infection prevention and control staff.
- Use unannounced drills to find delays and role confusion, then train and repeat the exercise.
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