Abstract
Patients with cancer are at a higher risk of developing serious disease-related complications in case of contracting SARS-CoV-2. Oncology units should implement all possible preventive measures to reduce the risk of viral transmission by healthcare professionals (HCPs) to patients. We conducted a surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 infection among the staff members of the Medical Oncology Unit of ASST Spedali Civili in Brescia, one of the Italian areas most affected by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The aim of this study was to demonstrate whether the recommended preventive measures, promptly implemented by the unit, have been effective in reducing the spread of the virus among the HCPs. Between February 24 and May 19, 2020, SARS-CoV-2 infection was detected in 10 out of 76 healthy HCPs (13%). Six of them developed a symptomatic disease, leading to home quarantine, and four remained asymptomatic. The infection was revealed when a serology test was performed on all staff members of the unit. In seven HCPs, in which it was possible to trace the person-to-person infection, the contagion occurred as a result of unprotected contacts or partially protected with surgical masks. In particular, four asymptomatic HCPs did not stop working, but a widespread outbreak in the unit was avoided. Adherence to the recommended preventive strategies, in particular, wearing of surgical masks by both the HCPs and the patients, is effective in reducing and preventing the viral spread.
Highlights
Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 infection and coronavirus disease (COVID-19) emerged in China between October and December 2019 [1], and in the subsequent months, it spread rapidly throughout the world
During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, oncology units should adopt all possible precautions to reduce the spread of the virus among patients and healthcare professionals (HCPs) [4]
The adoption of telemedicine, which was probably underused before the current emergency, helped us to avoid overcrowding in the Oncology Unit, without causing any reduction in the quality of care, in line with a recent review of the literature [6]
Summary
Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 infection and coronavirus disease (COVID-19) emerged in China between October and December 2019 [1], and in the subsequent months, it spread rapidly throughout the world. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern on 30 January 2020 and as a pandemic on 11 March 2020. Was the first European nation to be hardly affected by the epidemic. Prevention of SARS-CoV-2 Infection region that recorded the highest number of people infected with the virus. The province of Brescia (1.264 million population) has been one of the most affected areas in Lombardy. To manage the coronavirus emergency, the ASST Spedali Civili of Brescia, one of the largest hospitals in Italy, has reserved more than 800 beds to patients suffering from serious complications of the disease
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