The Journal of hospital infection
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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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The transmission behaviour of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is still being defined. It is likely that it is transmitted predominantly by droplets and direct contact and it is possible that there is at least opportunistic airborne transmission. In order to protect healthcare staff adequately it is necessary that we establish whether aerosol-generating procedures (AGPs) increase the risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2. ⋯ Currently there is very little evidence detailing the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 associated with any specific procedures. Regarding AGPs and respiratory pathogens in general, there is still a large knowledge gap that will leave clinicians unsure of the risk to themselves when offering these procedures. This review aimed to summarize the evidence (and gaps in evidence) around AGPs and SARS-CoV-2.
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An exceptionally high demand for surgical masks and N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) during the COVID-19 pandemic has considerably exceeded their supply. These disposable devices are generally not approved for routine decontamination and re-use as a standard of care, while this practice has widely occurred in hospitals. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention allowed it "as a crisis capacity strategy". However, limited testing was conducted on the impact of specific decontamination methods on the performance of N95 FFRs and no data was presented for surgical masks. ⋯ Strategies advocating decontamination and re-use of filtering facepieces in hospitals should be re-assessed considering the data obtained in this study.