Effectiveness of Preventive Measures in Keeping Low Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Health Care Workers in a Referral Children’s Hospital in Southern Italy

Désirée Caselli,Rita Dario,Maurizio Aricò,Maria Chironna,Daniela Loconsole

doi:10.3390/pediatric13010017

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic now represents a major threat to public health. Health care workers (HCW) are exposed to biological risk. Little is currently known about the risk of HCW operating in pediatric wards for SARS-CoV-2 infection. The aim is to assess the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in HCW in a third-level children’s hospital in Southern Italy. An observational cohort study of all asymptomatic HCW (physician, technicians, nurses, and logistic and support operators) was conducted. HCW were screened, on a voluntary basis, for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR on nasopharyngeal swab performed during the first wave of COVID-19. The study was then repeated, with the same modalities, at a 7-month interval, during the “second wave” of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the initial screening between 7 and 24 April 2020, 525 HCW were tested. None of them tested positive. At the repeated screening, conducted between 9 and 20 November 2020, 627 HCW were tested, including 61 additional ones resulting from COVID-emergency recruitment. At this second screening, eight subjects (1.3%) tested positive, thus being diagnosed as asymptomatic carriers of SARS-CoV-2. They were one physician, five nurses, and two HCW from the logistic/support services. They were employed in eight different wards/services. In all cases, the epidemiological investigation showed convincing evidence that the infection was acquired through social contacts. The study revealed a very low circulation of SARS-CoV-2 infection in HCW tested with RT-PCR. All the infections documented in the second wave of epidemic of SARS-CoV-2 were acquired outside of the workplace, confirming that in a pediatric hospital setting, HCW education, correct use of personal protective equipment, and separation of the COVID-patient pathway and staff flow may minimize the risk derived from occupational exposure.

Highlights

All the infections documented in the second wave of epidemic of SARS-CoV-2 were acquired outside of the workplace, confirming that in a pediatric hospital setting, Health care workers (HCW) education, correct use of personal protective equipment, and separation of the COVID-patient pathway and staff flow may minimize the risk derived from occupational exposure
We have progressively learned that the SARS-CoV-2 and the COVID-19 pandemic, for reasons that have not yet been fully clarified, largely spared children and adolescents worldwide, compared to the aggressiveness and lethality rate observed in adults [18,19,20,21]
We chose to assess the infection status for SARS-CoV-2 of all our operators, whether they were directly caring for children or only indirectly supporting in health care or even logistics in the hospital

Summary

Introduction

Has been one of the most affected European countries during the first wave of the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic [1], which in our country spanned between. January 2020 and beginning of June 2020. Was the first to institute a national lockdown to contain the spread of the virus, effective 9 March 2020. School closure was decided some days before the beginning of the lockdown and started from 5 March 2020. A second wave of the pandemic progressively arose starting from mid-August 2020 and is still ongoing at the time of writing. As of 3 February 2021, the pandemic has resulted in 2,579,763 cases and 88,533 deaths in Italy [2]

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