tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Elife. 2020 May 11;9. pii: e58728. doi: 10.7554/eLife.58728. [Epub ahead of print]
Screening of healthcare workers for SARS-CoV-2 highlights the role of asymptomatic carriage in COVID-19 transmission.
Rivett L[SUP]1[/SUP], Sridhar S[SUP]2[/SUP], Sparkes D[SUP]1[/SUP], Routledge M[SUP]1[/SUP], Jones NK[SUP]1[/SUP], Forrest S[SUP]2[/SUP], Young J[SUP]3[/SUP], Pereira-Dias J[SUP]2[/SUP], Hamilton WL[SUP]1[/SUP], Ferris M[SUP]4[/SUP], Torok ME[SUP]5[/SUP], Meredith L[SUP]6[/SUP]; CITIID-NIHR COVID-19 BioResource Collaboration[SUP]2[/SUP], Curran MD[SUP]7[/SUP], Fuller S[SUP]8[/SUP], Chaudhry A[SUP]9[/SUP], Shaw A[SUP]10[/SUP], Samworth RJ[SUP]11[/SUP], Bradley JR[SUP]5[/SUP], Dougan G[SUP]5[/SUP], Smith KGC[SUP]5[/SUP], Lehner PJ[SUP]12[/SUP], Matheson NJ[SUP]5[/SUP], Wright G[SUP]4[/SUP], Goodfellow IG[SUP]13[/SUP], Baker S[SUP]5[/SUP], Weekes MP[SUP]2[/SUP].
Author information
Abstract
Significant differences exist in the availability of healthcare worker (HCW) SARS-CoV-2 testing between countries, and existing programmes focus on screening symptomatic rather than asymptomatic staff. Over a 3-week period (April 2020), 1,032 asymptomatic HCWs were screened for SARS-CoV-2 in a large UK teaching hospital. Symptomatic staff and symptomatic household contacts were additionally tested. Real-time RT-PCR was used to detect viral RNA from a throat+nose self-swab. 3% of HCWs in the asymptomatic screening group tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. 17/30 (57%) were truly asymptomatic/pauci-symptomatic. 12/30 (40%) had experienced symptoms compatible with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) >7 days prior to testing, most self-isolating, returning well. Clusters of HCW infection were discovered on two independent wards. Viral genome sequencing showed that the majority of HCWs had the dominant lineage B∙1. Our data demonstrates the utility of comprehensive screening of HCWs with minimal or no symptoms. This approach will be critical for protecting patients and hospital staff.
? 2020, Rivett et al.
KEYWORDS:
epidemiology; global health; human; human biology; medicine; viruses
PMID:32392129DOI:10.7554/eLife.58728
Free full text
Screening of healthcare workers for SARS-CoV-2 highlights the role of asymptomatic carriage in COVID-19 transmission.
Rivett L[SUP]1[/SUP], Sridhar S[SUP]2[/SUP], Sparkes D[SUP]1[/SUP], Routledge M[SUP]1[/SUP], Jones NK[SUP]1[/SUP], Forrest S[SUP]2[/SUP], Young J[SUP]3[/SUP], Pereira-Dias J[SUP]2[/SUP], Hamilton WL[SUP]1[/SUP], Ferris M[SUP]4[/SUP], Torok ME[SUP]5[/SUP], Meredith L[SUP]6[/SUP]; CITIID-NIHR COVID-19 BioResource Collaboration[SUP]2[/SUP], Curran MD[SUP]7[/SUP], Fuller S[SUP]8[/SUP], Chaudhry A[SUP]9[/SUP], Shaw A[SUP]10[/SUP], Samworth RJ[SUP]11[/SUP], Bradley JR[SUP]5[/SUP], Dougan G[SUP]5[/SUP], Smith KGC[SUP]5[/SUP], Lehner PJ[SUP]12[/SUP], Matheson NJ[SUP]5[/SUP], Wright G[SUP]4[/SUP], Goodfellow IG[SUP]13[/SUP], Baker S[SUP]5[/SUP], Weekes MP[SUP]2[/SUP].
Author information
Abstract
Significant differences exist in the availability of healthcare worker (HCW) SARS-CoV-2 testing between countries, and existing programmes focus on screening symptomatic rather than asymptomatic staff. Over a 3-week period (April 2020), 1,032 asymptomatic HCWs were screened for SARS-CoV-2 in a large UK teaching hospital. Symptomatic staff and symptomatic household contacts were additionally tested. Real-time RT-PCR was used to detect viral RNA from a throat+nose self-swab. 3% of HCWs in the asymptomatic screening group tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. 17/30 (57%) were truly asymptomatic/pauci-symptomatic. 12/30 (40%) had experienced symptoms compatible with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) >7 days prior to testing, most self-isolating, returning well. Clusters of HCW infection were discovered on two independent wards. Viral genome sequencing showed that the majority of HCWs had the dominant lineage B∙1. Our data demonstrates the utility of comprehensive screening of HCWs with minimal or no symptoms. This approach will be critical for protecting patients and hospital staff.
? 2020, Rivett et al.
KEYWORDS:
epidemiology; global health; human; human biology; medicine; viruses
PMID:32392129DOI:10.7554/eLife.58728
Free full text