Effectiveness of personal protective equipment in preventing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection among healthcare workers. Issue 1 (January 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Suzuki, Tetsuya; Hayakawa, Kayoko; Ainai, Akira; Iwata-Yoshikawa, Naoko; Sano, Kaori; Nagata, Noriyo; Suzuki, Tadaki; Wakimoto, Yuji; Akiyama, Yutaro; Miyazato, Yusuke; Nakamura, Keiji; Ide, Satoshi; Nomoto, Hidetoshi; Nakamoto, Takato; Ota, Masayuki; Moriyama, Yuki; Sugiki, Yuko; Saito, Sho; Morioka, Shinichiro; Ishikane, Masahiro; Kinoshita, Noriko; Kutsuna, Satoshi; Ohmagari, Norio
• Is Part Of: Journal of infection and chemotherapy. Volume 27:Issue 1(2021)
• Page Start: 120
• Page End: 122
• Publication Date: 2021-01
• Subjects: Personal protective equipment -- SARS-CoV-2 -- COVID-19 -- Hospital-acquired infection -- Healthcare workers; CDC US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- COVID-19 coronavirus disease 2019 -- ELISA enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay -- HCW health care worker -- ICU intensive care unit -- Ig immunoglobulin -- IQR interquartile range -- PPE personal protective equipment -- SARS-CoV-2 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 -- WHO World Health Organization; Chemotherapy -- Periodicals; Infection -- Periodicals; Communicable diseases -- Chemotherapy -- Periodicals; 615.5805
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jiac.2020.09.006
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1341-321X

Abstract

Abstract: Introduction: Information on the effectiveness of personal protective equipment (PPE) for preventing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection among healthcare workers (HCWs), especially among HCWs with frequent contact with patients with SARS-CoV-2, is limited. Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study on 49 HCWs who worked in close contact with patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. HCWs had blood samples taken every 2 weeks to test for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies using two different types of assay. Results: Forty-nine participants (31 nurses, 15 doctors, 3 other workers) were enrolled. In total, 112 blood samples are obtained from participants. The median work days in 2 weeks was 9 (interquartile range (IQR): 5–10) days. In a single work day, 30 of the 49 participants (61.5%) had contact with patients with suspected or conformed SARS-CoV-2 at least 8 times, and approximately 60% of participants had more than 10 min of contact with a single patient. The median self-reported compliance to PPE was 90% (IQR: 80–100%). Seven participants tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibody using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); however, none were seropositive for SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody, so the positive ELISA results were assumed to be false-positive. Conclusions: The study provides evidence that appropriate PPE is sufficient to prevent infection amongHCWs. It is necessary to establish a system that provides a stable supply of PPE for HCWs to perform their duties.