Abstract
Objective: COVID-19 is a highly contagious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Preventing in-hospital infections is crucial to protect patients and hospital staff.Methods: At the very beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the German Heart Center initiated obligatory wearing of surgical face masks for patients and employees, SARS-CoV-2 screening for all patients, and symptom-based testing for employees. In addition, access restriction, closure of outpatient departments, and postponing non-urgent procedures were implemented with community-initiated regulations.Results: During the observation period (03/16/2020–04/27/2020), 1,128 SARS-CoV-2 tests were performed in 983 persons (1.1 tests/person; 589 in patients and 394 in hospital employees). Up to 60% of the clinical workforce was tested based on symptoms and risk (62.5% symptoms, 19.3% direct or indirect contact to known COVID-19, 4.5% returnee from risk area, 13.7% without specific reason). Patient testing for SARS-CoV-2 was obligatory (100% tested). The overall prevalence of positive tests during the observation period was 0.4% (n = 5 out of 1,128 tests performed). The incidence of new infections with SARS-CoV-2 was 0.5% (n = 5 out of 983 individuals; three healthcare workers, two patients). No nosocominal infections occurred, despite a mean number of 14.8 in-hospital contacts.Conclusion: Comprehensive SARS-CoV-2 testing and surgical face masks for patients and hospital staff, in addition to others measures, are key factors for the early detection of COVID-19 and to prevent spreading in the vulnerable hospital population.
Highlights
Clustering of a severe acute respiratory distress syndrome was first described in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, with the subsequent identification of the coronavirus SARS-CoV2 as the causal agent of a disease termed COVID-19 [1]
The Deutsches Herzzentrum Berlin (DHZB) has a total of 1,404 employees including 199 physicians and 383 nurses
1,128 SARS-CoV-2-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests were done in 983 individuals during the period of this study
Summary
Clustering of a severe acute respiratory distress syndrome was first described in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, with the subsequent identification of the coronavirus SARS-CoV2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) as the causal agent of a disease termed COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) [1]. COVID-19 is a highly contagious lower respiratory tract infection mostly transmitted via droplets, but airborne transmission was reported [2, 3]. As of November 17, the number of infected patients exceeds 55.4 million globally, causing a death toll of more than 1,300,000 [7]. In Germany, the first COVID-19 patient was reported in the southern state of Bavaria on January 27, 2020 [8], whereas the first case in the northern state of Berlin was reported on March 1, 2020 [9]. Thereafter, the number of infected patients increased rapidly, reaching 817,526 in Germany up to date with 12,833 deaths [7]. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an overwhelming demand on intensive care beds and ventilator therapy
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