Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Observational Study
. 2021 Aug 5;10(1):114.
doi: 10.1186/s13756-021-00984-x.

SARS-CoV-2 nosocomial infection acquired in a French university hospital during the 1st wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, a prospective study

A Landoas  1 , F Cazzorla  1 , M Gallouche  1   2 , S Larrat  3 , B Nemoz  3   4 , C Giner  1 , M Le Maréchal  5 , P Pavese  5 , O Epaulard  5 , P Morand  3   4 , M-R Mallaret  1   2 , C Landelle  6   7   8
Affiliations
Observational Study

SARS-CoV-2 nosocomial infection acquired in a French university hospital during the 1st wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, a prospective study

A Landoas et al. Antimicrob Resist Infect Control. .

Abstract

Background: In healthcare facilities, nosocomial transmissions of respiratory viruses are a major issue. SARS-CoV-2 is not exempt from nosocomial transmission. Our goals were to describe COVID-19 nosocomial cases during the first pandemic wave among patients in a French university hospital and compliance with hygiene measures.

Methods: We conducted a prospective observational study in Grenoble Alpes University Hospital from 01/03/2020 to 11/05/2020. We included all hospitalised patients with a documented SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis. Nosocomial case was defined by a delay of 5 days between hospitalisation and first symptoms. Hygiene measures were evaluated between 11/05/2020 and 22/05/2020. Lockdown measures were effective in France on 17/03/2020 and ended on 11/05/2020. Systematic wearing of mask was mandatory for all healthcare workers (HCW) and visits were prohibited in our institution from 13/03/2021 and for the duration of the lockdown period.

Results: Among 259 patients included, 14 (5.4%) were considered as nosocomial COVID-19. Median time before symptom onset was 25 days (interquartile range: 12-42). Eleven patients (79%) had risk factors for severe COVID-19. Five died (36%) including 4 deaths attributable to COVID-19. Two clusters were identified. The first cluster had 5 cases including 3 nosocomial acquisitions and no tested HCWs were positive. The second cluster had 3 cases including 2 nosocomial cases and 4 HCWs were positive. Surgical mask wearing and hand hygiene compliance were adequate for 95% and 61% of HCWs, respectively.

Conclusions: The number of nosocomial COVID-19 cases in our hospital was low. Compliance regarding mask wearing, hand hygiene and lockdown measures drastically reduced transmission of the virus. Monitoring of nosocomial COVID-19 cases during the first wave enabled us to determine to what extent the hygiene measures taken were effective and patients protected. Trial registration Study ethics approval was obtained retrospectively on 30 September 2020 (CECIC Rhône-Alpes-Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, IRB 5891).

Keywords: COVID-19; Hand hygiene; Healthcare-associated infection; Mask; Outbreak; SARS-CoV-2.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

All authors report no conflicts of interest relevant to this article. An abstract containing partial data was presented at the ESCMID Conference on Coronavirus Disease (ECCVID), 2020, online conference.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Time distribution of nosocomial-acquired cases among community-acquired cases of COVID-19
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Zhu N, Zhang D, Wang W, Li X, Yang B, Song J, et al. A novel coronavirus from patients with pneumonia in China, 2019. N Engl J Med. 2020;382(8):727–733. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2001017. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. World Health Organisation. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Situation Report –51 [Internet]. https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/2...
    1. Zheng Z, Peng F, Xu B, Zhao J, Liu H, Peng J, et al. Risk factors of critical & mortal COVID-19 cases: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis. J Infect. 2020;81(2):e16–25. doi: 10.1016/j.jinf.2020.04.021. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. World Health Organisation. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Situation Report–132 [Internet]. https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/2...
    1. World Health Organisation. Modes of transmission of virus causing COVID-19: implications for IPC precaution recommendations. Scientific brief. 2020 [Internet]. https://www.who.int/news-room/commentaries/detail/modes-of-transmission-...

Publication types

MeSH terms