Study finds risk factors for HCP acquisition of COVID-19 in tertiary care center

Retesting patients for SARS-CoV-2 after admission in suspicious cases and using N95 masks for all aerosol-generating procedures regardless of initial patient SARS-CoV-2 test results can help reduce the risk of SARS-COV-2 transmission to health care personnel (HCP), according to a study recently published in the American Journal of Infection Control. These conclusions are based on an investigation and case-control study, which was confirmed by whole genome sequencing, of an outbreak among employees at an academic medical center in California. The study highlights the risk of nosocomial infection of SARS-CoV-2 from patients who become infectious midway into their hospitalization and reinforce the importance of patient contact and aerosol-generating procedures as key risk factors for HCP infection with SARS-CoV-2.