Environment contamination and intra-hospital spread of COVID-19 in a tertiary care Hospital in Taiwan
Background: The role of environmental contamination in COVID-19 transmission within hospitals is still of interest due to the significant impact of outbreaks globally. However, there is a scarcity of data regarding the utilization of environmental sampling for informing infection control measures du...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of the Formosan Medical Association |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0929664623003315 |
| _version_ | 1797348642773794816 |
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| author | Sung-Ching Pan Kuan-Yin Lin Ying-Chieh Liu Chin-Ting Wu Ling Ting Shu-Yuan Ho Yu-Shan Huang Yee-Chun Chen Jia-Horng Kao |
| author_facet | Sung-Ching Pan Kuan-Yin Lin Ying-Chieh Liu Chin-Ting Wu Ling Ting Shu-Yuan Ho Yu-Shan Huang Yee-Chun Chen Jia-Horng Kao |
| author_sort | Sung-Ching Pan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: The role of environmental contamination in COVID-19 transmission within hospitals is still of interest due to the significant impact of outbreaks globally. However, there is a scarcity of data regarding the utilization of environmental sampling for informing infection control measures during SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks. Methods: This retrospective study analyzed incident event investigations conducted at a single center from May 1, 2021, to August 31, 2021. Investigations were initiated following the identification of a COVID-19 confirmed case (referred to as the index case) who had stayed in a hospital area outside the dedicated COVID-19 ward/bed and without specific COVID-19 precautions. Measures to prevent intra-hospital spread included contact tracing, adjusted testing policies, isolation of confirmed cases, quarantine of close contacts, environmental disinfection, and PCR testing of environmental samples. Results: Among the 18 incident events investigated, the index case was a healthcare personnel in 8 events, a patient in 8 events, and a caregiver in 2 events. The median number of confirmed COVID-19 cases within 14 days was 13 (IQR, 7–31) for events with SARS-CoV-2 RNA detected on environmental surfaces, compared to only one (IQR, 1–1.5) for events without surface contamination (P = 0.04). Environmental contamination was independently associated with a higher number of COVID-19 cases (P < 0.001). Conclusion: This study highlights environmental contamination as an indicator of the severity of incident events and provides a framework for incident event management, including a protocol for environmental sampling. Implementing these measures can help prevent the spread of COVID-19 within healthcare facilities. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T12:08:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-81528607c25d42c2ae9fe845a375b166 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0929-6646 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T12:08:47Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of the Formosan Medical Association |
| spelling | doaj.art-81528607c25d42c2ae9fe845a375b1662024-01-23T04:15:17ZengElsevierJournal of the Formosan Medical Association0929-66462024-01-0112314554Environment contamination and intra-hospital spread of COVID-19 in a tertiary care Hospital in TaiwanSung-Ching Pan0Kuan-Yin Lin1Ying-Chieh Liu2Chin-Ting Wu3Ling Ting4Shu-Yuan Ho5Yu-Shan Huang6Yee-Chun Chen7Jia-Horng Kao8Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Center for Infection Control, National Taiwan University Hospital, TaiwanDepartment of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, TaiwanCenter for Infection Control, National Taiwan University Hospital, TaiwanCenter for Infection Control, National Taiwan University Hospital, TaiwanCenter for Infection Control, National Taiwan University Hospital, TaiwanDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, TaiwanDepartment of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, TaiwanDepartment of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Center for Infection Control, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taiwan; Department of Medicine, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan; Corresponding author. Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, No. 7 Chung-Shan South Rd, Taipei 100, Taiwan. Fax: 886-2-23971412.Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Medicine, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, TaiwanBackground: The role of environmental contamination in COVID-19 transmission within hospitals is still of interest due to the significant impact of outbreaks globally. However, there is a scarcity of data regarding the utilization of environmental sampling for informing infection control measures during SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks. Methods: This retrospective study analyzed incident event investigations conducted at a single center from May 1, 2021, to August 31, 2021. Investigations were initiated following the identification of a COVID-19 confirmed case (referred to as the index case) who had stayed in a hospital area outside the dedicated COVID-19 ward/bed and without specific COVID-19 precautions. Measures to prevent intra-hospital spread included contact tracing, adjusted testing policies, isolation of confirmed cases, quarantine of close contacts, environmental disinfection, and PCR testing of environmental samples. Results: Among the 18 incident events investigated, the index case was a healthcare personnel in 8 events, a patient in 8 events, and a caregiver in 2 events. The median number of confirmed COVID-19 cases within 14 days was 13 (IQR, 7–31) for events with SARS-CoV-2 RNA detected on environmental surfaces, compared to only one (IQR, 1–1.5) for events without surface contamination (P = 0.04). Environmental contamination was independently associated with a higher number of COVID-19 cases (P < 0.001). Conclusion: This study highlights environmental contamination as an indicator of the severity of incident events and provides a framework for incident event management, including a protocol for environmental sampling. Implementing these measures can help prevent the spread of COVID-19 within healthcare facilities.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0929664623003315SARS CoV-2Fomite transmissionIndirect contact transmissionIncident eventOutbreak investigation |
| spellingShingle | Sung-Ching Pan Kuan-Yin Lin Ying-Chieh Liu Chin-Ting Wu Ling Ting Shu-Yuan Ho Yu-Shan Huang Yee-Chun Chen Jia-Horng Kao Environment contamination and intra-hospital spread of COVID-19 in a tertiary care Hospital in Taiwan Journal of the Formosan Medical Association SARS CoV-2 Fomite transmission Indirect contact transmission Incident event Outbreak investigation |
| title | Environment contamination and intra-hospital spread of COVID-19 in a tertiary care Hospital in Taiwan |
| title_full | Environment contamination and intra-hospital spread of COVID-19 in a tertiary care Hospital in Taiwan |
| title_fullStr | Environment contamination and intra-hospital spread of COVID-19 in a tertiary care Hospital in Taiwan |
| title_full_unstemmed | Environment contamination and intra-hospital spread of COVID-19 in a tertiary care Hospital in Taiwan |
| title_short | Environment contamination and intra-hospital spread of COVID-19 in a tertiary care Hospital in Taiwan |
| title_sort | environment contamination and intra hospital spread of covid 19 in a tertiary care hospital in taiwan |
| topic | SARS CoV-2 Fomite transmission Indirect contact transmission Incident event Outbreak investigation |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0929664623003315 |
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