1. Effective control of SARS-CoV-2 transmission between healthcare workers during a period of diminished community prevalence of COVID-19.
- Author
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Jones NK, Rivett L, Sparkes D, Forrest S, Sridhar S, Young J, Pereira-Dias J, Cormie C, Gill H, Reynolds N, Wantoch M, Routledge M, Warne B, Levy J, Córdova Jiménez WD, Samad FNB, McNicholas C, Ferris M, Gray J, Gill M, Curran MD, Fuller S, Chaudhry A, Shaw A, Bradley JR, Hannon GJ, Goodfellow IG, Dougan G, Smith KG, Lehner PJ, Wright G, Matheson NJ, Baker S, and Weekes MP
- Subjects
- Adult, Asymptomatic Diseases, Betacoronavirus genetics, Betacoronavirus isolation & purification, COVID-19, COVID-19 Testing, Community-Acquired Infections transmission, Contact Tracing, Coronavirus Infections diagnosis, Coronavirus Infections epidemiology, Coronavirus Infections prevention & control, Disease Transmission, Infectious prevention & control, England epidemiology, Family Characteristics, Female, Hospital Units, Hospitals, Teaching organization & administration, Hospitals, Teaching statistics & numerical data, Hospitals, University organization & administration, Hospitals, University statistics & numerical data, Humans, Infection Control, Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional statistics & numerical data, Male, Mass Screening organization & administration, Middle Aged, Nasopharynx virology, Occupational Diseases epidemiology, Patient Admission statistics & numerical data, Pneumonia, Viral diagnosis, Pneumonia, Viral epidemiology, Pneumonia, Viral prevention & control, Prevalence, Program Evaluation, Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction, SARS-CoV-2, Symptom Assessment, Clinical Laboratory Techniques statistics & numerical data, Coronavirus Infections transmission, Health Personnel, Mass Screening statistics & numerical data, Occupational Diseases prevention & control, Pandemics prevention & control, Pneumonia, Viral transmission
- Abstract
Previously, we showed that 3% (31/1032)of asymptomatic healthcare workers (HCWs) from a large teaching hospital in Cambridge, UK, tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in April 2020. About 15% (26/169) HCWs with symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) also tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 (Rivett et al., 2020). Here, we show that the proportion of both asymptomatic and symptomatic HCWs testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 rapidly declined to near-zero between 25th April and 24th May 2020, corresponding to a decline in patient admissions with COVID-19 during the ongoing UK 'lockdown'. These data demonstrate how infection prevention and control measures including staff testing may help prevent hospitals from becoming independent 'hubs' of SARS-CoV-2 transmission, and illustrate how, with appropriate precautions, organizations in other sectors may be able to resume on-site work safely., Competing Interests: NJ, LR, DS, SF, SS, JY, JP, CC, HG, NR, MW, MR, BW, JL, WC, FS, CM, MF, JG, MG, MC, SF, AS, JB, GH, GW No competing interests declared, AC Afzal Chaudhry reports grants from Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre at CUHNFT, during the conduct of the study. IG Ian Goodfellow reports grants from Wellcome Trust (Senior Research Fellowships), grants from Wellcome Trust (Collaborative Award), grants from Addenbrooke's Charitable Trust, during the conduct of the study. GD Gordon Dougan reports grants from NIHR, during the conduct of the study. KS Kenneth GC Smith reports grants from Wellcome Trust, during the conduct of the study. PL Paul J Lehner reports grants from Wellcome Trust Principal Research Fellowship, grants from Addenbrooke's Charitable Trust, during the conduct of the study. NM Nicholas J Matheson reports grants from Medical Research Council (Clinician Scientist Fellowship), grants from NHS Blood and Transfusion, during the conduct of the study. SB Stephen Baker reports grants from Wellcome Trust (Senior Research Fellowships), from Addenbrooke's Charitable Trust, during the conduct of the study. MW Michael P Weekes reports grants from Wellcome Trust (Senior Research Fellowships), from Addenbrooke's Charitable Trust, during the conduct of the study., (© 2020, Jones et al.)
- Published
- 2020
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