scholarly journals COVID-19 Community Transmission among Healthcare Workers at a Tertiary Care Cardiac Center

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 49
Author(s):  
Mazin Barry ◽  
Asirvatham Alwin Robert ◽  
Mohamad-Hani Temsah ◽  
Syed Abdul Bari ◽  
Muhammad Yasin Akhtar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Transmission Risk ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Community Transmission ◽  
Mode Of Transmission ◽  
Healthcare Associated ◽  
Female Nurses ◽  
Cardiac Center

Aim: To determine the frequency, mode of transmission, and outcome of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) among healthcare workers (HCWs) in a tertiary care cardiac center in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Methods: This is a retrospective study of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infected HCWs and was conducted from 2 March to 31 December 2020. Data related to the presence of COVID-19 symptoms, mode of transmission, hospitalization, and mortality were collected from the patients’ medical records. Results: Of the 4462 patients tested for COVID-19 by real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), 203 (4.5%) HCWs were positive; of these, 125 (61.6%) were males, and the most common age group was <40 years. The most commonly encountered health professionals were nurses (74, 36.4%), followed by therapists/technicians (48, 23.6%), housekeepers (25, 12.3%), and physicians (21, 10.4%). The majority (184, 90.6%) of the HCWs contracted COVID-19 in the community, and only 19 (9.4%) were healthcare-associated infections. Of the infected HCWs, 169 (83.3%) had mild symptoms and were managed in home isolation. The most common symptoms were fever (128, 63.1%), body ache (124, 61.8%), headache (113, 55.7%), dry cough (123, 60.6%), sore throat (97, 47.8%), body weakness (97, 47.8%), and fatigue (94, 46.3%). Comparing males and females, there was a significantly higher number of female nurses; in contrast, there was a higher number of male physicians, housekeepers, therapists/technicians, and other specialty HCWs. A significantly lower number of nurses, therapists/technicians were infected in the ≥40 years age group compared to <40 years. Furthermore, a significantly higher difference was observed among non-Saudi nurses compared to Saudi nurses. No mortality was documented among the included HCWs. Conclusions: In the largest tertiary cardiac center in KSA, most HCWs who contracted COVID-19 developed mild symptoms; nurses and those aged <40 years were most commonly infected, and most infections were acquired in the community. HCWs’ adherence to mitigation measures outside of the workplace is vital to curb the current pandemic and decrease nosocomial transmission risk.

scholarly journals Passing the Test: A Model-based analysis of safe school-reopening strategies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alyssa Bilinski ◽  
Joshua A. Salomon ◽  
John Giardina ◽  
Andrea Ciaranello ◽  
Meagan C. Fitzpatrick
Keyword(s):  
Elementary Schools ◽  
High Schools ◽  
Transmission Risk ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Single Infection ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
School Students ◽  
School Based ◽  
Community Transmission

AbstractBackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has induced historic educational disruptions. In December 2020, at least two-thirds of US public school students were not attending full-time in-person education. The Biden Administration has expressed that reopening schools is a priority.ObjectiveTo compare risks of SARS-COV-2 transmission in schools across different school-based prevention strategies and levels of community transmission.DesignWe developed an agent-based network model to simulate transmission in elementary and high school communities, including home, school, and inter-household interactions.SettingWe parameterized school structure based on average US classrooms, with elementary schools of 638 students and high schools of 1,451 students. We varied daily community incidence from 1 to 100 cases per 100,000 population.Patients (or Participants)We simulated students, faculty/staff, and adult household members.InterventionsWe evaluated isolation of symptomatic individuals, quarantine of an infected individual’s contacts, reduced class sizes, alternative schedules, staff vaccination, and weekly asymptomatic screening.MeasurementsWe projected transmission among students, staff and families during one month following introduction of a single infection into a school. We also calculated the number of infections expected for a typical 8-week quarter, contingent on community incidence rate.ResultsSchool transmission risk varies according to student age and community incidence and is substantially reduced with effective, consistent mitigation measures. Nevertheless, when transmission occurs, it may be difficult to detect without regular, frequent testing due to the subclinical nature of most infections in children. Teacher vaccination can reduce transmission to staff, while asymptomatic screening both improves understanding of local circumstances and reduces transmission, facilitating five-day schedules at full classroom capacity.LimitationsThere is uncertainty about susceptibility and infectiousness of children and low precision regarding the effectiveness of specific prevention measures, particularly with emergence of new variants.ConclusionWith controlled community transmission and moderate school-based prevention measures, elementary schools can open with few in-school transmissions, while high schools require more intensive mitigation. Asymptomatic screening should be a key component of school reopenings, allowing reopening at higher community incidence while still minimizing transmission risk.

scholarly journals Containment of COVID-19 cases among healthcare workers: The role of surveillance, early detection, and outbreak management

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (7) ◽  
pp. 765-771 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liang En Wee ◽  
Xiang Ying Jean Sim ◽  
Edwin Philip Conceicao ◽  
May Kyawt Aung ◽  
Jia Qing Goh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Detection ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Respiratory Illness ◽  
Individual Responsibility ◽  
Surveillance Period ◽  
Surveillance Strategy ◽  
Outbreak Management ◽  
Containment Measures ◽  
Community Transmission ◽  
Healthcare Associated

AbstractObjective:Staff surveillance is crucial during the containment phase of a pandemic to help reduce potential healthcare-associated transmission and sustain good staff morale. During an outbreak of SARS-COV-2 with community transmission, our institution used an integrated strategy for early detection and containment of COVID-19 cases among healthcare workers (HCWs).Methods:Our strategy comprised 3 key components: (1) enforcing reporting of HCWs with acute respiratory illness (ARI) to our institution’s staff clinic for monitoring; (2) conducting ongoing syndromic surveillance to obtain early warning of potential clusters of COVID-19; and (3) outbreak investigation and management.Results:Over a 16-week surveillance period, we detected 14 cases of COVID-19 among HCWs with ARI symptoms. Two of the cases were linked epidemiologically and thus constituted a COVID-19 cluster with intrahospital HCW–HCW transmission; we also detected 1 family cluster and 2 clusters among HCWs who shared accommodation. No transmission to HCWs or patients was detected after containment measures were instituted. Early detection minimized the number of HCWs requiring quarantine, hence preserving continuity of service during an ongoing pandemic.Conclusions:An integrated surveillance strategy, outbreak management, and encouraging individual responsibility were successful in early detection of clusters of COVID-19 among HCWs. With ongoing local transmission, vigilance must be maintained for intrahospital spread in nonclinical areas where social mingling of HCWs occurs. Because most individuals with COVID-19 have mild symptoms, addressing presenteeism is crucial to minimize potential staff and patient exposure.

scholarly journals Stethoscope, “the friendly foe” – A study to evaluate bacterial contamination of stethoscopes and disinfection practices

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 887-893 ◽  
Author(s):  
Priya Datta ◽  
Mandeep Kaur ◽  
Sangeeta Rawat ◽  
Varsha Gupta ◽  
Jagdish Chander
Keyword(s):  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Methicillin Resistance ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Contamination Rate ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Healthcare Associated

Introduction: Stethoscope is used to assess the health of patients but can also act as a potential source of disease transmission. The study was aimed to find out the contamination rate of stethoscopes, evaluate awareness and attitude of healthcare workers (HCWs) about stethoscope cleaning, and determine the efficacy of 70% alcohol as cleaning agent. Methodology: This hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital in October 2015 among healthcare workers. They were asked to fill a questionnaire followed by culturing the diaphragm and bell surfaces of their stethoscopes before and after cleaning with 70% isopropyl alcohol. Results: Out of 100 stethoscopes cultured, 56 were found to be contaminated at least with one microorganism. Acinetobacter cbc was the commonest contaminant followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae. Three out of twelve S. aureus strains showed methicillin resistance. Stethoscopes used in emergency areas were more contaminated when compared to wards and out-patient departments. Despite 100% awareness among HCWs, the importance of stethoscope cleaning is realized by only 70% who practice it regularly. Conclusion: Stethoscope is a potential vector for transmission of healthcare associated infections. Hence it is vital to clean it after each use to reduce the load of iatrogenic infections.

scholarly journals Analyzing Healthcare Workers’ Perspectives on Healthcare-Associated Infections and Infection Control Practices Using Video Reflexive Ethnography (VRE)

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s116-s116
Author(s):  
Esther Paul ◽  
Ibrahim Alzaydani ◽  
Ahmed Hakami ◽  
Harish C. Chandramoorthy
Keyword(s):  
Hand Hygiene ◽  
Infection Control ◽  
Quantitative Data ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Infection Control Measures ◽  
Hygiene Measures ◽  
Healthcare Associated

Background: This study explores the perspectives of healthcare workers on the healthcare-associated infection (HAI) and infection control measures in a tertiary-care unit, through a self-administered questionnaire, semi-structured interviews, and reflexive sessions based on video-recorded sterile procedures performed in respondents’ work contexts. Video reflexive ethnography (VRE) is a method that provides feedback to medical practitioners through reflection analysis, whereby practitioners identify problems and find solutions. Methods: Quantitative questionnaire data were used to assess the knowledge of HAI among 50 healthcare workers and their attitude toward practice of infection control measures. Semistructured interviews based on an interview guide were used to collect qualitative data from 25 doctors and nurses. The interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim immediately. Also, routine sterile procedures in the wards and intensive care unit were video recorded, and the footage was discussed by the infection control team and the personnel involved in the videos. This discussion was video recorded and transcribed. Both interview data and reflexive discussion of video-graph were analyzed using a thematic analysis. The quantitative data were analyzed using the Kruskal–Wallis test. Results: The quantitative data revealed no difference in the knowledge, attitude, and practice scores used to evaluate the infection control practices among the healthcare workers. We identified 4 themes from the qualitative data: (1) knowledge of HAI and infection control, (2) infection control measures in practice, (3) the shortfall in infection control measures and HAI, and (4) required implementation. Although the qualitative data indicated that the participants had excellent compliance with hand hygiene and personal protective equipment (PPE) use, the VRE and reflective sessions indicated otherwise. Some astounding lapses were revealed, like failure to engage in boundary maintenance between sterile and nonsterile areas, failure to observe proper hand hygiene measures, and use of traditional hijab face covers (used in an unsterile environment as well) instead of surgical masks. These findings demonstrate the advantage of combining VRE with qualitative and quantitative methodology to deduct the lapses in the practice of infection control among healthcare workers. Conclusions: Introduction of training programs focused on HAI and infection control measures in the educational system will help better inform medical and nursing students. Live video demonstrations of appropriate infection control practices during sterile procedures would be highly beneficial to educate the healthcare workers on correct infection control practices. Lapses in the use of PPE can be a possible reason for the outbreak of MERS-CoV, an endemic disease, in this part of Saudi Arabia.Disclosures: NoneFunding: None

scholarly journals Knowledge and attitude about sexually transmitted infections among paramedical 1st year students in a tertiary care teaching institute in Pondicherry

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 532
Author(s):  
Saurabh Krishna Misra ◽  
P. Oudeacoumar ◽  
R. Indradevi ◽  
Sushree Sovana
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Health ◽  
Sexually Transmitted Infections ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Unprotected Sex ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Sexually Transmitted ◽  
Adequate Knowledge ◽  
Mode Of Transmission

<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> Sexually transmitted infections (STI’s) are transmitted through sexual intercourse. Young individuals of 16-24 yr age group are more prone to STIs because they lack adequate knowledge about STIs and tend to have wrong perceptions towards sex. Thus it becomes important to assess the knowledge level about STIs among this age group. The main objective of this study was designed to evaluate the knowledge, awareness, perception and attitude about STIs among paramedical 1st year students in a tertiary care institute.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> The study was a descriptive cross sectional study. Detailed questionnaire eliciting information about knowledge, awareness, perception and attitude of the respondents towards STIs was administered to 227 paramedical 1st year students. This self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection.<strong></strong></p><p class="abstract"><strong>Results:</strong> 227 paramedical students participated in this study. Among them 103 (45%) were males and 124 (55%) females. Majority of the students (68%) got the source of information of STIs from education in school and college, 57% from internet and 49% from print media. 95% of the respondents knew about at least one STI. The two most commonly mentioned STIs were HIV (60%) and Syphilis (41%). 7% did not have any knowledge about STI. 68% mentioned sex with multiple partners as a mode of transmission and 46% knew unprotected sex. 17.6%-21.6% of them had misconception about mode of transmission. 49.8% mentioned weakness, 47.6% loss of weight as the symptoms of STIs where as 25.6% did not know anything about symptoms at all. Majority of respondents (60%) did not know about the complications of STDs. Also attitude towards sexual health and prevention of STIs was variable.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Conclusions:</strong> Findings of our study showed that it is important to orient the paramedical students about sexual health and positive attitude towards STIs. This will help in prevention and control of STIs.</p>

scholarly journals Prospective sero surveillance among healthcare workers vaccinated with ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 Corona vaccine in a tertiary hospital of Kerala, India

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Swathi Krishna Njarekkattuvalappil ◽  
Ramesh Bhaskaran ◽  
Sree Raj Vijaya Raj ◽  
Ponnu Jose ◽  
Aboobacker Mohammed Rafi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Care Setting ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Tertiary Hospital ◽  
Antibody Responses ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Younger Age ◽  
Median Level ◽  
Ig G ◽  
Tertiary Care Setting

Background: India started Covid-19 vaccination from January 16, 2021 after the approval of two candidate vaccines namely Covishield TM and Covaxin TM .We report antibody responses among healthcare workers following two doses of CovishieldTM vaccination in a tertiary care setting. Methods: This prospective serosurveillance study was done among healthcare workers of JMMC&RI ,vaccinated during January to March 2021. Blood samples were drawn from 170 participants after their 1st dose and from 156 participants after their 2nd dose of COVID vaccine to measure the specific antibodies against the recombinant S1 subunit of the S protein of SARS CoV 2 Results: The median level of anti SARS CoV-2 Ig G antibody 28 days after the first dose vaccination is 3.64 S/C (IQR=5.91) and 11.6 S/C (IQR= 5.97) after 14 days of second dose vaccination. Protective levels of anti SARS CoV-2 Ig G antibodies is developed by 25 participants (14.7%) after 28 days of first dose of vaccination and by 109 participants (69.9%) after 14 days of second dose. 18-44 years age group (p=0.027) and absence of comorbidities (p=0.079) are associated with protective IgG levels. Conclusions: Rise in specific Ig G is observed after vaccination. Higher antibody response is observed with younger age group and absence of comorbidities, though statistically not significant. The influence of BMI is also not significant.

scholarly journals High anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroprevalence in healthcare workers in an Irish university teaching hospital

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Leonard ◽  
Anna Rose Prior ◽  
Phyllis Reilly ◽  
Caroline Murray ◽  
Meghan O’ Brien ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Antibody Test ◽  
University Teaching ◽  
Transmission Risk ◽  
Molecular Testing ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Patient Contact ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
Joint Research

Abstract Introduction Healthcare workers are at very high risk for SARS-CoV-2 exposure and infection. This study evaluated anti-SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in healthcare workers in a tertiary care hospital and then correlated seroprevalence with confirmed or suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection in this population since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Method The study was approved by our institution’s Joint Research Ethics Committee in June 2020. All volunteers were provided with a consent form, an information leaflet and a questionnaire on the day before phlebotomy. Serum samples were collected from 1176 participants over a 3-month period and analysed using the Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 assay (Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Mannheim, Germany) which detects total antibodies against the nucleocapsid protein of SARs-COV-2. Results Overall anti-SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among participating healthcare workers was 17.9%. The rate of confirmed infection by real-time polymerase chain reaction molecular testing prior to participation was 12.2%. Of 211 participants who had a reactive antibody test result, 37% did not have COVID-19 infection confirmed at any point prior to participation in this study, either having had a swab which did not detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA or having never been tested. Seropositivity was the highest (30%) in the youngest quintile of age (20–29 years old). Staff with more patient contact had a higher seroprevalence of 19.5% compared to 13.4% in staff with less patient contact. Conclusion This study demonstrates that a substantial proportion of SARS-CoV-2 infections in healthcare workers may be asymptomatic or subclinical and thus potentially represent a significant transmission risk to colleagues and patients.

scholarly journals Risk assesment and management of exposure of health care workers to COVID-19 in a tertiary care hospital of South Gujarat

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 750
Author(s):  
Krishnakant N. Bhatt ◽  
Amit Gamit ◽  
Ashish Patel ◽  
Kalpesh Gohel ◽  
Shiv Pujari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Young Male ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Rt Pcr ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Risk Categorization

Background: The COVID-19 outbreak affected 215 countries worldwide and was declared global COVID-19 pandemic on 11th March 2020 by WHO. Healthcare workers (HCWs) in India are faced with an incredibly high number of patients per worker and because of high infectivity of COVID-19, having higher chances of getting COVID-19 infection. The objective of the study was the risk categorization of HCWs and provide recommendation for HCWs exposed to COVID-19 based on risk categorization.Methods: After obtaining informed and valid consent from HCWs based on standard WHO questionnaire HCW, who were exposed to COVID-19 were identified and categorised in to high risk and low risk health worker. Those who were at high risk of getting COVID-19 were advised quarantine for 14 days and rt pcr for Covid-19.Results: Out of 200 participants, 51% were male and 49% were female with the majority of them being in the age group of 18-28 (40%). Out of 200, 190 (95%) were exposed to COVID-19. Majority of HCWs who were having high risk of getting COVID-19 infection were young between age group of 18-28 (66,39.7%, p :0.091), male (91,59.6%, p<0.001), doctors (119, 80.9%, p<0.001).Conclusions: Young male doctors were more prone to get COVID-19 infection. It is important to protect HCWs from getting COVID-19 infections by taking various fundamental preventive measures like wearing proper PPE kits and adherence to strict hand hygiene.

scholarly journals Psychosocial Impact of COVID-19 on Healthcare Workers at a Tertiary Care Cardiac Center of Karachi Pakistan

2020 ◽  
Vol Publish Ahead of Print ◽  
Author(s):  
Dileep Kumar ◽  
Tahir Saghir ◽  
Gulzar Ali ◽  
Umamah Yasin ◽  
Shumaila Furnaz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Psychosocial Impact ◽  
Cardiac Center
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