Abstract
BackgroundCancer patients are at higher risk of COVID-19 infection and more likely they have higher morbidity and mortality than the general population. On the other hand, the oncology patient sometimes can show asymptomatic COVID-19 disease with a risk of longer viral shedding and spreading the infection to others immunosuppressed individuals. Oncology patients also regularly travel between hospital and sometimes lodge in boarding house for routine chemotherapy. As we known, prevention strategy for COVID-19 among pediatric oncology patients can be implemented by minimizing these risks factors for transmission by identifying all patients infected with COVID-19. Here, we report our experience before and after implementing COVID-19 testing policy of patients with hematology and oncology diseases in our center.MethodWe collected data of pediatric oncology patients admitted to Hasan Sadikin General hospital between July 1st, 2020 to January 8th, 2021. The data consisted of the total number of patients and COVID-19 status by using SARS-CoV-2 Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT) performed in the patient during two periods. In the first period, we performed NAAT if the patient was suspected of COVID-19. In the second period, after the policy was changed, NAAT was performed routinely as screening for all oncologic patients admitted to the hospital.ResultsBetween July 1st to December 2nd, 2020, the first period, there was 3 positive results from 36 suspected COVID-19 patients among 181 total pediatric oncology patients. In the second period, we found 8 positive results from 121 hospitalized patients, none of them had signs and symptoms of COVID-19; and 4 of them came from boarding house.ConclusionRoutine screening for COVID-19 should be considered as a policy for hospitalization of a pediatric oncology patient because of the high risk that asymptomatic COVID-19 patients can transmit the infection to other patient and to health care workers in the hospital.
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