| Literature DB >> 34357691 |
Claude Saegerman1,2, Anne-Françoise Donneau2,3, Niko Speybroeck4, Anh Nguyet Diep3, Alexandria Williams5, Lambert Stamatakis6, Wouter Coppieters7, Fabienne Michel2,8, Christophe Breuer9, Margaux Dandoy10, Olivier Ek10, Claire Gourzones10, Joey Schyns10, Emeline Goffin10, Frédéric Minner10, Véronique Renault1, Laurent Gillet1,10,11, Fabrice Bureau10,12.
Abstract
Nursing home (NH) residents and staff have been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to examine the use of weekly saliva RT-qPCR testing for SARS-CoV-2 detection among NH workers as a strategy to control disease transmission within NHs in Belgium. From 16 November to 27 December 2020, a voluntary and anonymous weekly screening was implemented in a cohort of 50,000 workers across 572 NHs in the Walloon region of Belgium to detect asymptomatic cases of SARS-CoV-2 via saliva RT-qPCR testing and using the Diagenode saliva sample collection device. Positive workers were isolated to avoid subsequent infections in residents and other staff. RT-qPCR testing was based on pooled saliva sampling techniques from three workers, followed by individual testing of each positive or inconclusive pool. The majority of NHs (85%) and 55% of their workers participated. Pooling did not affect sensitivity as it only induced a very decrease in sensitivity estimated as 0.33%. Significant decreases in the prevalence (34.4-13.4%) and incidence of NHs with either single (13.8-2%) or multiple positive workers (3.7-0%) were observed over time. In addition, deaths among NH residents and NH worker absences decreased significantly over time. Weekly saliva RT-qPCR testing for SARS-CoV-2 demonstrated large-scale feasibility and efficacy in disrupting the chain of transmission. Implementation of this testing strategy in NHs could also be extended to other settings with the aim to control viral transmission for maintaining essential activities.Entities:
Keywords: Belgium; COVID-19; RT-qPCR; SARS-CoV-2; nursing home; saliva test; worker
Mesh:
Year: 2021 PMID: 34357691 PMCID: PMC8446975 DOI: 10.1111/tbed.14280
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Transbound Emerg Dis ISSN: 1865-1674 Impact factor: 4.521
Number of NHs participating in the saliva COVID‐19 testing by number of weeks of participation
| Number of week(s) of participation | Number of NHs (%) |
|---|---|
| 0 | 42 (7.3) |
| 1 | 11 (1.9) |
| 2 | 17 (3.0) |
| 3 | 37 (6.5) |
| 4 | 64 (11.2) |
| 5 | 256 (44.8) |
| 6 | 145 (25.3) |
| Total | 572 |
FIGURE 1Participating (N = 530) and non‐participating (N = 42) NHs in the study; map of Belgium, with Wallonia located in the south
Trends in the odds of positive RT‐qPCR results by week in Wallonia
| Week | Mean | Standard deviation |
|---|---|---|
| 47 | .014 | .031 |
| 48 | .013 | .030 |
| 49 | .011 | .031 |
| 50 | .011 | .039 |
| 51 | .010 | .032 |
| 52 | .007 | .027 |
FIGURE 2Map of Wallonia; cumulative odds of positive RT‐qPCR results by nursing home and quartile.
Legend: Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4 are the quartiles
Weekly incidence of NHs presenting with positive SARS‐CoV‐2 tests (N = 246)
| Incidence (%) in NHs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Week | ≥1 positive worker | ≥2 positive workers |
| 49 | 34 (13.8) | 9 (3.7) |
| 50 | 17 (6.9) | 4 (1.6) |
| 51 | 11 (4.5) | 1 (.4) |
| 52 | 5 (2.0) | 0 (.0) |
| Total | 67 (27.2) | 14 (5.7) |
Considered as a cluster according to Belgian federal guidelines (Sciensano, 2020).
FIGURE 3Regional trends during second wave in (a) the number of possible or confirmed COVID‐19 cases per 1000 absent NH workers, and (b) number of COVID‐19 deaths per 1000 NH residents (derived from Sciensano, 2021b). NH, Nursing home; (a) black line represents Wallonia; grey dash represents Flanders; (b) black bars represent Wallonia, grey bars represent Flanders
Time series regression modelling the difference in the number of absent NH workers and deaths in NH residents due to COVID‐19, per region over time, and region by time effect
| Number of absences per 1000 NH workers | Number of deaths per 1000 NH residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent variables | Coefficient | SE |
| Coefficient | SE |
|
| Intercept | 52.340 | 10.692 | <.001 | .610 | .036 | <.001 |
| Region – Wallonia | 70.055 | 15.121 | <.001 | .267 | .051 | <.001 |
| Day | −1.778 | .751 | .033 | −.002 | .001 | .027 |
| Region – Day | −4.831 | 1.062 | <.001 | −.011 | .001 | <.001 |
The reference region is Flanders.
FIGURE 4During the first wave, (a) regional trends in the number of deaths due to COVID‐19 per 1000 NH residents, and (b) the ratio between deaths in Wallonia/Flanders over time (Derived from Sciensano, 2021b). NH, Nursing home; (a) bars in black represent Wallonia, while bars in grey represent Flanders