The impact of novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 among healthcare workers in hospitals: An aerial overview

Abstract

The ongoing outbreak of COVID-19, caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, places healthcare workers at an increased risk of infection as they are in close contact with patients. In this article, we report an overview of cases of infected healthcare workers in China and Italy during the early periods of the COVID-19 epidemic. China's coronavirus response highlights the importance of implementing effective public health strategies. The authorities worldwide therefore, need to be extremely cautious when they implement stringent protective measures that safeguard healthcare workers in hospitals and counteract the threats created by the pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19 disease; Medical staffs; Person-to-person transmission; Protective measures; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.

Fig 1

Geographical epidemiological characteristics of 11 hospitals with infected healthcare workers. (A) Geographical distribution of 11 hospitals. (B) According to the date of the first confirmed case with COVID-19 detected using viral nucleic acid testing, 11 hospitals were arranged in sequence from code 1 to 11. Confirmed and suspected cases of every hospital were identified by the end of January 2020.

Fig 2

The graph's x-axis (dates from 1st January to 26th March 2020) is used as a timeline of the key events and dynamic profile of infected healthcare workers in the different phases of the COVID-19 outbreak. The key events include the international public health emergency and the declaration of COVID-19 as a pandemic by the WHO. The profiles of infected healthcare workers are shown in blue boxes; the data of 12 deceased healthcare workers are shown in the yellow box. Italian information is shown in the red box.