Screening of healthcare workers for SARS-CoV-2 highlights the role of asymptomatic carriage in COVID-19 transmission

Journal article

Significant differences exist in the availability of healthcare worker (HCW) SARS-CoV-2 testing between countries, and existing programmes focus on screening symptomatic rather than asymptomatic staff. Over a 3 week period (April 2020), 1032 asymptomatic HCWs were screened for SARS-CoV-2 in a large UK teaching hospital. Symptomatic staff and symptomatic household contacts were additionally tested. Real-time RT-PCR was used to detect viral RNA from a throat+nose self-swab. 3% of HCWs in the asymptomatic screening group tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. 17/30 (57%) were truly asymptomatic/pauci-symptomatic. 12/30 (40%) had experienced symptoms compatible with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)>7 days prior to testing, most self-isolating, returning well. Clusters of HCW infection were discovered on two independent wards. Viral genome sequencing showed that the majority of HCWs had the dominant lineage B∙1. Our data demonstrates the utility of comprehensive screening of HCWs with minimal or no symptoms. This approach will be critical for protecting patients and hospital staff.

Authors: Rivett, L; Sridhar, S; Sparkes, D; Routledge, M; Jones, NK

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: eLife Sciences Publications
• Journal: eLife
• Volume: 9
• Article number: e58728
• Publication date: 2020-05-11
• Acceptance date: 2020-05-10
• DOI: 10.7554/elife.58728
• EISSN: 2050-084X
• ISSN: 2050-084X
• Pmid: 32392129
• Language: English
• Keywords: FFR