Eurosurv. Low SARS-CoV-2 Cq values in healthcare workers with symptomatic COVID-19 infections, regardless of symptom severity, The Netherlands, Januar

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• Carsten van Rossum[SUP]1[/SUP] , Corianne Meijer[SUP]1[/SUP] , Ingrid JM van Weerdenburg[SUP]1[/SUP] , Edmée C Bowles[SUP]1[/SUP] , Chantal P Rovers[SUP]2[/SUP] , Jaap ten Oever[SUP]2[/SUP] , Kim Stol[SUP]3[/SUP] , Nannet DJ van der Geest[SUP]4[/SUP] , Matthew B McCall[SUP]1[/SUP] , Alma Tostmann[SUP]1[/SUP]

We analysed SARS-CoV-2 PCR Cq values from 3,183 healthcare workers who tested positive between January and August 2022. Median Cq values were lower in symptomatic than in asymptomatic HCW. The difference in Cq values between HCW with mild vs moderate/severe symptoms was statistically significant but negligibly small. To prevent nosocomial infections, all symptomatic HCW should be tested irrespective of symptom severity. This information can support decisions on testing and isolation, in the context of ongoing pressure on healthcare systems.


https://www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2023.28.4.2300007#html_fulltext