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
. 2021 Oct;49(10):1334-1336.
doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2021.07.021. Epub 2021 Aug 8.

Occupational COVID-19 exposures and secondary cases among healthcare personnel

Jessica Ibiebele  1 , Christina Silkaitis  2 , Gina Dolgin  2 , Maureen Bolon  3 , JaneCullen  4 , Teresa Zembower  5
Affiliations

Occupational COVID-19 exposures and secondary cases among healthcare personnel

Jessica Ibiebele et al. Am J Infect Control. 2021 Oct.

Abstract

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare personnel (HCP) have been at high risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2, both from patients and co-workers. This paper summarizes occupational exposures to SARS-CoV-2 and secondary cases among HCP at a large health system. Key findings indicate that transmission of COVID-19 to HCP is low, especially with close adherence to PPE guidelines, but lapses in infection prevention practices, including dining together and omitting eye protection during patient care, especially at times when COVID-19 is circulating widely in the community increase the risk of exposure and subsequent transmission to HCP.

Keywords: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); Exposure; Healthcare epidemiology; Infection control; Occupational health; Pandemic.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Bandyopadhyay S, Baticulon R.E., Kadhum M. Infection and mortality of healthcare workers worldwide from COVID-19: a systematic review. BMJ Glob Health. 2020;5 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Interim U.S. Guidance for Risk Assessment and Work Restrictions for Healthcare Personnel with Potential Exposure to SARS-CoV-2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/guidance-risk-assesment-hc.... Updated Mar. 11, 2021. Accessed April 15, 2021.
    1. Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Healthcare Personnel During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/infection-control-recommen.... Updated Feb. 23, 2021. Accessed April 30, 2021.
    1. Daily State-by-State Testing Trends. Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center. https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/testing/individual-states/illinois. Updated July 7, 2021. Accessed July 7, 2021.