The Journal of hospital infection
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Staff working in units that were highly exposed to coronavirus disease 2019 were invited to participate in a 6-month study on the carriage and seroprevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). The results from visits on Day 1 and Day 15 show that 41 cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection were confirmed by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and/or serology in 326 participants (overall infection rate 12.6%). The presence of comorbidities or symptoms at the time of sample collection was a risk factor for infection, but working as a physician/nurse was not a risk factor. Universal screening in high-risk units, irrespective of symptoms, allowed the identification of asymptomatic and potentially contagious infected workers, enabling them to self-isolate for 7 days.
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A coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) surveillance study was performed in March-April 2020 among asymptomatic healthcare workers (HCWs) at a specialist infectious diseases hospital in Naples, Italy. All HCWs underwent two rounds of molecular and serological testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). ⋯ The infection rate among HCWs was reasonably low. Most of the infected HCWs had been asymptomatic for the preceding 30 days, which supports the need for periodic screening of HCWs for COVID-19.
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Single-use filtering face respirators (FFRs) are critical pieces of personal protective equipment for healthcare workers treating patients with suspected upper respiratory tract pathogens. Experiences during pandemics in the 2000s, as well as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-2-CoV-2, have highlighted concerns over the pressures that sustained respiratory virus pandemics may have on supplies of FFRs globally. Decontamination of FFRs has been posited as one solution to support the re-use of FFRs with a growing body of literature over the last 10+ years beginning to examine both the efficacy of disinfection of contaminated FFRs but also the impact of the decontamination process on the FFR's performance. ⋯ The performance of the filter, especially the efficiency of particle penetration following treatment, varied greatly depending on the processing method as well as the model of the filter itself, however. Urgent regulatory body-supported research is required to endorse the routine decontamination of FFRs. In emergency settings, these methods should nevertheless be carefully considered as one strategy to address potential shortfalls in supplies of FFRs for healthcare workers.