COVID-19 among healthcare workers in a specialist infectious diseases setting in Naples, Southern Italy: results of a cross-sectional surveillance study

F M Fusco; M Pisaturo; V Iodice; R Bellopede; O Tambaro; G Parrella; G Di Flumeri; R Viglietti; R Pisapia; M A Carleo; M Boccardi; L Atripaldi; B Chignoli; N Maturo; C Rescigno; V Esposito; R Dell'Aversano; V Sangiovanni; R Punzi

doi:10.1016/j.jhin.2020.06.021

COVID-19 among healthcare workers in a specialist infectious diseases setting in Naples, Southern Italy: results of a cross-sectional surveillance study

J Hosp Infect. 2020 Aug;105(4):596-600. doi: 10.1016/j.jhin.2020.06.021. Epub 2020 Jun 18.

Authors

F M Fusco¹, M Pisaturo², V Iodice², R Bellopede³, O Tambaro², G Parrella², G Di Flumeri², R Viglietti², R Pisapia⁴, M A Carleo⁵, M Boccardi⁴, L Atripaldi⁶, B Chignoli⁷, N Maturo³, C Rescigno⁴, V Esposito⁵, R Dell'Aversano⁸, V Sangiovanni², R Punzi⁹

Affiliations

¹ UOC Infezioni Sistemiche e dell'Immunodepresso, AORN Ospedali dei Colli, P.O. 'D. Cotugno', Naples, Italy. Electronic address: francescomaria.fusco@ospedalideicolli.it.
² UOC Infezioni Sistemiche e dell'Immunodepresso, AORN Ospedali dei Colli, P.O. 'D. Cotugno', Naples, Italy.
³ UOC Pronto Soccorso Infettivologico ed Accettazione, AORN Ospedali dei Colli, P.O. 'D. Cotugno', Naples, Italy.
⁴ UOC Malattie Infettive ad Indirizzo Neurologico, AORN Ospedali dei Colli, P.O. 'D. Cotugno', Naples, Italy.
⁵ UOC Immunodeficienze e Malattie Infettive di Genere, AORN Ospedali dei Colli, P.O. 'D. Cotugno', Naples, Italy.
⁶ UOC Microbiologia e Virologia, AORN Ospedali dei Colli, P.O. Monaldi, Naples, Italy.
⁷ UOSD Medicina del Lavoro, AORN Ospedali dei Colli, Naples, Italy.
⁸ UOC Direzione Medica di Ospedale, AORN Ospedali dei Colli, P.O. 'D. Cotugno', Naples, Italy.
⁹ UOC Malattie Infettive ed Urgenze Infettivologiche, AORN Ospedali dei Colli, P.O. 'D. Cotugno', Naples, Italy.

Abstract

A coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) surveillance study was performed in March-April 2020 among asymptomatic healthcare workers (HCWs) at a specialist infectious diseases hospital in Naples, Italy. All HCWs underwent two rounds of molecular and serological testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). One hundred and fifteen HCWs were tested; of these, two cases of infection were identified by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and two HCWs were SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G seropositive. The overall prevalence of current or probable previous infection was 3.4%. The infection rate among HCWs was reasonably low. Most of the infected HCWs had been asymptomatic for the preceding 30 days, which supports the need for periodic screening of HCWs for COVID-19.

Keywords: COVID-19; Healthcare workers; Infection control; SARS-CoV-2; Surveillance.

MeSH terms

Adult
Betacoronavirus
COVID-19
Coronavirus Infections / epidemiology*
Cross-Sectional Studies
Emergency Medical Services / statistics & numerical data*
Female
Health Personnel / statistics & numerical data*
Humans
Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional / statistics & numerical data*
Italy / epidemiology
Male
Middle Aged
Pandemics
Pneumonia, Viral / epidemiology*
Population Surveillance
Prevalence
SARS-CoV-2