tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Clin Med (Lond)
. 2020 Sep 22;clinmed.2020-0566.
doi: 10.7861/clinmed.2020-0566. Online ahead of print.
Exposure of hospital healthcare workers to the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2)
Salman Razvi[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Rahima Oliver[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Jonathan Moore[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Andrew Beeby[SUP] 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at higher risk of infection with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and can also amplify outbreaks within healthcare facilities if they become ill. Certain groups are known to be at higher risk of contracting severe COVID-19 infection, such as men and people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds. Identifying and managing HCWs who have been exposed to COVID-19 is of utmost importance in preventing healthcare transmission and protecting staff and vulnerable patients in healthcare settings. Recently, antibody testing to diagnose previous COVID-19 exposure among HCW has commenced in the UK. This provided an opportunity to assess exposure to COVID-19 among the various subgroups within the HCW community, based on their roles and ethnic background. We found that HCWs working in patient-facing roles were twice as likely to have been exposed to COVID-19 than their colleagues in non-patient-facing roles. Reassuringly, workers from BAME backgrounds had a similar risk of previous COVID-19 exposure to their white colleagues. More research is required to assess how frontline staff, especially those working in patient facing roles, can reduce their risk of exposure to COVID-19.
Keywords: BAME; COVID-19 antibody; healthcare workers.
. 2020 Sep 22;clinmed.2020-0566.
doi: 10.7861/clinmed.2020-0566. Online ahead of print.
Exposure of hospital healthcare workers to the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2)
Salman Razvi[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Rahima Oliver[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Jonathan Moore[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Andrew Beeby[SUP] 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 32962975
- DOI: 10.7861/clinmed.2020-0566
Abstract
Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at higher risk of infection with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and can also amplify outbreaks within healthcare facilities if they become ill. Certain groups are known to be at higher risk of contracting severe COVID-19 infection, such as men and people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds. Identifying and managing HCWs who have been exposed to COVID-19 is of utmost importance in preventing healthcare transmission and protecting staff and vulnerable patients in healthcare settings. Recently, antibody testing to diagnose previous COVID-19 exposure among HCW has commenced in the UK. This provided an opportunity to assess exposure to COVID-19 among the various subgroups within the HCW community, based on their roles and ethnic background. We found that HCWs working in patient-facing roles were twice as likely to have been exposed to COVID-19 than their colleagues in non-patient-facing roles. Reassuringly, workers from BAME backgrounds had a similar risk of previous COVID-19 exposure to their white colleagues. More research is required to assess how frontline staff, especially those working in patient facing roles, can reduce their risk of exposure to COVID-19.
Keywords: BAME; COVID-19 antibody; healthcare workers.