tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Emerg Infect Dis
. 2022 Mar;28(3):572-581.
doi: 10.3201/eid2803.204436.
Infection Control Measures and Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 IgG among 4,554 University Hospital Employees, Munich, Germany
Johanna Erber, Verena Kappler, Bernhard Haller, Hrvoje Mijočević, Ana Galhoz, Clarissa Prazeres da Costa, Friedemann Gebhardt, Natalia Graf, Dieter Hoffmann, Markus Thaler, Elke Lorenz, Hedwig Roggendorf, Florian Kohlmayer, Andreas Henkel, Michael P Menden, Jürgen Ruland, Christoph D Spinner, Ulrike Protzer, Percy Knolle, Paul Lingor, SeCoMRI Study Group2
Abstract
Hospital staff are at high risk for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in hospital staff at the University Hospital rechts der Isar in Munich, Germany, and identify modulating factors. Overall seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2-IgG in 4,554 participants was 2.4%. Staff engaged in direct patient care, including those working in COVID-19 units, had a similar probability of being seropositive as non-patient-facing staff. Increased probability of infection was observed in staff reporting interactions with SARS-CoV-2‒infected coworkers or private contacts or exposure to COVID-19 patients without appropriate personal protective equipment. Analysis of spatiotemporal trajectories identified that distinct hotspots for SARS-CoV-2‒positive staff and patients only partially overlap. Patient-facing work in a healthcare facility during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic might be safe as long as adequate personal protective equipment is used and infection prevention practices are followed inside and outside the hospital.
Keywords: COVID-19; Germany; IgG; Munich; SARS-CoV-2; antibodies; coronavirus disease; coronaviruses; healthcare workers; infection control measures; respiratory infections; seroprevalence; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; strategies; university hospital employees; viruses; zoonoses.
. 2022 Mar;28(3):572-581.
doi: 10.3201/eid2803.204436.
Infection Control Measures and Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 IgG among 4,554 University Hospital Employees, Munich, Germany
Johanna Erber, Verena Kappler, Bernhard Haller, Hrvoje Mijočević, Ana Galhoz, Clarissa Prazeres da Costa, Friedemann Gebhardt, Natalia Graf, Dieter Hoffmann, Markus Thaler, Elke Lorenz, Hedwig Roggendorf, Florian Kohlmayer, Andreas Henkel, Michael P Menden, Jürgen Ruland, Christoph D Spinner, Ulrike Protzer, Percy Knolle, Paul Lingor, SeCoMRI Study Group2
- PMID: 35195515
- DOI: 10.3201/eid2803.204436
Abstract
Hospital staff are at high risk for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in hospital staff at the University Hospital rechts der Isar in Munich, Germany, and identify modulating factors. Overall seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2-IgG in 4,554 participants was 2.4%. Staff engaged in direct patient care, including those working in COVID-19 units, had a similar probability of being seropositive as non-patient-facing staff. Increased probability of infection was observed in staff reporting interactions with SARS-CoV-2‒infected coworkers or private contacts or exposure to COVID-19 patients without appropriate personal protective equipment. Analysis of spatiotemporal trajectories identified that distinct hotspots for SARS-CoV-2‒positive staff and patients only partially overlap. Patient-facing work in a healthcare facility during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic might be safe as long as adequate personal protective equipment is used and infection prevention practices are followed inside and outside the hospital.
Keywords: COVID-19; Germany; IgG; Munich; SARS-CoV-2; antibodies; coronavirus disease; coronaviruses; healthcare workers; infection control measures; respiratory infections; seroprevalence; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; strategies; university hospital employees; viruses; zoonoses.