AI Article Synopsis

  • A study at the University Hospital rechts der Isar in Munich assessed SARS-CoV-2 infection rates among 4,554 hospital staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, revealing a seroprevalence of 2.4%.
  • Staff involved in direct patient care were just as likely to be infected as those not interacting with patients, although increased infection risk was linked to contact with infected colleagues or patients without proper protective gear.
  • The findings suggest that working in patient-facing roles can be safe with proper use of personal protective equipment and adherence to infection prevention protocols, despite some areas of high infection overlap identified in staff and patients.

Article Abstract

Hospital staff are at high risk for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in hospital staff at the University Hospital rechts der Isar in Munich, Germany, and identify modulating factors. Overall seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2-IgG in 4,554 participants was 2.4%. Staff engaged in direct patient care, including those working in COVID-19 units, had a similar probability of being seropositive as non-patient-facing staff. Increased probability of infection was observed in staff reporting interactions with SARS-CoV-2‒infected coworkers or private contacts or exposure to COVID-19 patients without appropriate personal protective equipment. Analysis of spatiotemporal trajectories identified that distinct hotspots for SARS-CoV-2‒positive staff and patients only partially overlap. Patient-facing work in a healthcare facility during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic might be safe as long as adequate personal protective equipment is used and infection prevention practices are followed inside and outside the hospital.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8888242PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.3201/eid2803.204436DOI Listing

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