Effectiveness of patient triage at the orthopedic hospital and the hygiene concept in a professional handball team in the first year of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

The first severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV‑2) pandemic wave in Germany in spring 2020 challenged the largely unprepared healthcare system. A prevention concept was implemented to protect the vulnerable patient group at our orthopedic department. The patient triage during the pre-admission process included screening for symptoms and obtaining information on travel, occupation, contact and cluster (TOCC) [16].