OBJECTIVE: Healthcare workers (HCWs) are particularly exposed SARS-CoV-2 because they are critical in preventing viral transmission and treating COVID-19 patients. Within HCWs, personnel of intensive care units (ICUs) are at the forefront of treating patients with a severe course of COVID-19 infection and therefore represent an extremely vulnerable group. Thus, our objective is to contribute to establish means of infection control protecting HCWs in the frontline of the current pandemic. DESIGN: An outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 was detected and contained in a pediatric ICU (PICU). The first positive case was identified with a point-of-care diagnostic system on site. Real-time PCR-based testing systems from self-collected nasopharyngeal samples swabs were used to test for viral RNA of SARS-CoV-2 in the follow-up. SETTING: PICU within a tertiary university hospital in Germany. PARTICIPANTS: Healthcare workers of the PICU. INTERVENTIONS: Positive HCWs were sent into quarantine. Containment measures were implemented including wearing of surgical-masks, physical distancing and systematic testing. RESULTS: Among 432 HCWs, 91 (25%) were tested. Forty-five percent reported symptoms corresponding to characteristics of COVID-19. Of those, only 19,5% (8 HCWs) were tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. No infection occurred outside the PICU. After the implementation of containment measures, viral transmission was stopped. CONCLUSIONS: In the present study, a large outbreak within a team of healthcare workers of a PICU, affecting almost one fifth of the entire personnel is documented, along with detailed insights about how the outbreak was contained and how operability of the unit was maintained.
OBJECTIVE: Healthcare workers (HCWs) are particularly exposed SARS-CoV-2 because they are critical in preventing viral transmission and treating COVID-19patients. Within HCWs, personnel of intensive care units (ICUs) are at the forefront of treating patients with a severe course of COVID-19infection and therefore represent an extremely vulnerable group. Thus, our objective is to contribute to establish means of infection control protecting HCWs in the frontline of the current pandemic. DESIGN: An outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 was detected and contained in a pediatric ICU (PICU). The first positive case was identified with a point-of-care diagnostic system on site. Real-time PCR-based testing systems from self-collected nasopharyngeal samples swabs were used to test for viral RNA of SARS-CoV-2 in the follow-up. SETTING: PICU within a tertiary university hospital in Germany. PARTICIPANTS: Healthcare workers of the PICU. INTERVENTIONS: Positive HCWs were sent into quarantine. Containment measures were implemented including wearing of surgical-masks, physical distancing and systematic testing. RESULTS: Among 432 HCWs, 91 (25%) were tested. Forty-five percent reported symptoms corresponding to characteristics of COVID-19. Of those, only 19,5% (8 HCWs) were tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. No infection occurred outside the PICU. After the implementation of containment measures, viral transmission was stopped. CONCLUSIONS: In the present study, a large outbreak within a team of healthcare workers of a PICU, affecting almost one fifth of the entire personnel is documented, along with detailed insights about how the outbreak was contained and how operability of the unit was maintained.
Authors: D Goldblatt; M Johnson; O Falup-Pecurariu; I Ivaskeviciene; V Spoulou; E Tamm; M Wagner; H J Zar; L Bleotu; R Ivaskevicius; I Papadatou; P Jõgi; J Lischka; Z Franckling-Smith; D Isarova; L Grandjean; D Zavadska Journal: J Hosp Infect Date: 2021-01-07 Impact factor: 3.926
Authors: Walter Q Betancourt; Bradley W Schmitz; Gabriel K Innes; Sarah M Prasek; Kristen M Pogreba Brown; Erika R Stark; Aidan R Foster; Ryan S Sprissler; David T Harris; Samendra P Sherchan; Charles P Gerba; Ian L Pepper Journal: Sci Total Environ Date: 2021-03-13 Impact factor: 7.963
Authors: Sara C Keller; Alejandra B Salinas; Opeyemi Oladapo-Shittu; Sara E Cosgrove; Robin Lewis-Cherry; Patience Osei; Ayse P Gurses; Ron Jacak; Kristina K Zudock; Kianna M Blount; Kenneth V Bowden; Clare Rock; Anna C Sick-Samuels; Briana Vecchio-Pagan Journal: JAMIA Open Date: 2021-11-30