Environment contamination and intra-hospital spread of COVID-19 in a tertiary care Hospital in Taiwan.
J Formos Med Assoc
; 123(1): 45-54, 2024 Jan.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37625983
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The role of environmental contamination in COVID-19 transmission within hospitals is still of interest due to the significant impact of outbreaks globally. However, there is a scarcity of data regarding the utilization of environmental sampling for informing infection control measures during SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks.METHODS:
This retrospective study analyzed incident event investigations conducted at a single center from May 1, 2021, to August 31, 2021. Investigations were initiated following the identification of a COVID-19 confirmed case (referred to as the index case) who had stayed in a hospital area outside the dedicated COVID-19 ward/bed and without specific COVID-19 precautions. Measures to prevent intra-hospital spread included contact tracing, adjusted testing policies, isolation of confirmed cases, quarantine of close contacts, environmental disinfection, and PCR testing of environmental samples.RESULTS:
Among the 18 incident events investigated, the index case was a healthcare personnel in 8 events, a patient in 8 events, and a caregiver in 2 events. The median number of confirmed COVID-19 cases within 14 days was 13 (IQR, 7-31) for events with SARS-CoV-2 RNA detected on environmental surfaces, compared to only one (IQR, 1-1.5) for events without surface contamination (P = 0.04). Environmental contamination was independently associated with a higher number of COVID-19 cases (P < 0.001).CONCLUSION:
This study highlights environmental contamination as an indicator of the severity of incident events and provides a framework for incident event management, including a protocol for environmental sampling. Implementing these measures can help prevent the spread of COVID-19 within healthcare facilities.Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Bases de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
COVID-19
Tipo de estudio:
Observational_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Límite:
Humans
País/Región como asunto:
Asia
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Formos Med Assoc
Asunto de la revista:
MEDICINA
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Taiwán