Abstract
ENT surgeons are likely to be at high risk of coronavirus disease 2019 exposure. A national registry of UK ENT surgeons with suspected or confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 was created with the support of ENT UK. Voluntary entry was made by either the affected individual or a colleague, using a web-based platform. A four-month data collection period is reported, comprising 73 individuals. Coronavirus disease 2019 was test-confirmed in 35 respondents (47.9 per cent). There was a need for hospitalisation in two cases (2.7 per cent) and tragically one individual died. Symptom onset peaked in March. The majority suspected their exposure to have been in the workplace, with a significant proportion attributing their disease to a lack of personal protective equipment at a time before formal guidance had been introduced. The registry suggests that a significant number of ENT clinicians in the UK have contracted coronavirus disease 2019, and supports the need for tailored personal protective equipment guidance and service planning.
Highlights
In December 2019, a cluster of cases of ‘pneumonia of unknown cause’ was reported in Wuhan, People’s Republic of China
On 9th January, the World Health Organization reported that the outbreak was caused by a novel coronavirus, termed coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19)
Multiple aerosol-generating procedures (AGPs) are part of standard ENT elective and emergency care; these further increase the likelihood of Covid-19 transmission.[3]
Summary
In December 2019, a cluster of cases of ‘pneumonia of unknown cause’ was reported in Wuhan, People’s Republic of China. ENT surgeons are likely to be at high risk of coronavirus disease 2019 exposure. A national registry of UK ENT surgeons with suspected or confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 was created with the support of ENT UK. Coronavirus disease 2019 was test-confirmed in 35 respondents (47.9 per cent). There was a need for hospitalisation in two cases (2.7 per cent) and tragically one individual died. The majority suspected their exposure to have been in the workplace, with a significant proportion attributing their disease to a lack of personal protective equipment at a time before formal guidance had been introduced. The registry suggests that a significant number of ENT clinicians in the UK have contracted coronavirus disease 2019, and supports the need for tailored personal protective equipment guidance and service planning
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