Effective control of SARS-CoV-2 transmission between healthcare workers during a period of diminished community prevalence of COVID-19
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Cambridge University NHS Hospitals Foundation Trust, United Kingdom
- Clinical Microbiology & Public Health Laboratory, Public Health England, United Kingdom
- Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology & Infectious Disease (CITIID), Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, United Kingdom
- Academic Department of Medical Genetics, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Wellcome - MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Department of Haematology, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Institute for Manufacturing, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Improvement and Transformation Team, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, United Kingdom
- Occupational Health and Wellbeing, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, United Kingdom
- Cancer Research United Kingdom Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
- National Institutes for Health Research Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, United Kingdom
- Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, United Kingdom
- National Institutes for Health Research Cambridge, Clinical Research Facility, United Kingdom
- Division of Virology, Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
- NHS Blood and Transplant, United Kingdom
Figures
Figure 1
Trends in positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR tests among HCWs, hospital patients and the wider community over time.
(a) Positive SARS-CoV-2 tests for asymptomatic and symptomatic screening arms by week. (b) Total HCW SARS-CoV-2 tests in CUHNFT performed by week. (c) Total positive SARS-CoV-2 patient tests in Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (CUHNFT) by week. (d) Total positive SARS-CoV-2 tests in the East of England (EOE) by week.
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Figure 1—source data 1
Source data for trends in SARS-CoV-2 PCR positive HCWs, hospital patients and individuals in the wider community.
- https://cdn.elifesciences.org/articles/59391/elife-59391-fig1-data1-v3.xlsx
Tables
Table 1
Combined data for SARS-CoV-2 RNA positive HCWs by role and screening arm, from the present study and our previous study (Rivett et al., 2020).
Difference in proportions of HCWs testing positive through the symptomatic screening arm was analysed using Pearson’s chi-square test.
| Role | HCW asymptomatic screening arm | HCW symptomatic screening arm | Total number of hospital employees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nurse | 25 | 19 | 3621 |
| Healthcare assistant | 14 | 8 | 1734 |
| Doctor | 8 | 6 | 1871 |
| Cleaners | 2 | 3 | 560 |
| Radiographer | 2 | 1 | 217 |
| Radiology support worker | 0 | 1 | 35 |
| Physiotherapist | 1 | 0 | 116 |
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Overall, 360 individuals underwent repeat testing, either as part of the asymptomatic screening programme, or for other reasons as previously described (Rivett et al., 2020). The median turnaround time from sample arrival in the laboratory to final verification was 18 hr 45 min. Positive results were called out on the same day, with negative results emailed within 24 hr.
Table 2
Positive tests and total number of SARS-CoV-2 tests performed in each screening arm categorised according to week since starting the healthcare worker testing programme (6th April–24th May 2020).
| Week commencing | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6th April | 13th April | 20th April | 27th April | 4th May | 11th May | 18th May | Total | |
| HCW asymptomatic screening arm | 4/121 | 20/383 | 7/529 | 11/550 | 8/483 | 1/738 | 1/840 | 52/3644 (1.4%) |
| HCW symptomatic screening arm | 1/15 | 14/60 | 11/95 | 7/119 | 3/104 | 0/164 | 2/168 | 38/725 (5.2%) |
| HCW symptomatic household contacts | 1/7 | 3/18 | 0/26 | 0/62 | 1/50 | 0/51 | 0/53 | 5/267 (1.8%) |
| Unknown | 0/0 | 0/2 | 0/13 | 0/0 | 0/4 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 0/21 |
| All | 6/143 (4.1%) | 37/463 (7.9%) | 18/663 (2.7%) | 18/731 (2.4%) | 12/641 (1.8%) | 1/954 (0.1%) | 3/1062 (0.2%) | 95/4657 (2%) |
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Effective control of SARS-CoV-2 transmission between healthcare workers during a period of diminished community prevalence of COVID-19
eLife 9:e59391.
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.59391
