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
. 2022 Mar;27(11):2200164.
doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2022.27.11.2200164.

Surveillance and return to work of healthcare workers following SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infection, Sheffield, England, 17 January to 7 February 2022

Mohammed Raza  1 , Prosenjit Giri  2 , Subhashis Basu  2
Affiliations

Surveillance and return to work of healthcare workers following SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infection, Sheffield, England, 17 January to 7 February 2022

Mohammed Raza et al. Euro Surveill. 2022 Mar.

Abstract

The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant has challenged demands to minimise workplace transmission in healthcare settings while maintaining adequate staffing. Policymakers have shortened COVID-19 isolation periods, although little real-world data have evaluated the utility. Our findings from surveillance of 240 healthcare workers from Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, England, show that 55% of affected staff could return before day 10 of isolation with over 25% eligible on day 6, pending two successive negative antigen tests. This outcome is favourable for continuity of healthcare services.

Keywords: Covid; Omicron; healthcare; surveillance; testing; work.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart for the SARS-CoV-2 testing process for healthcare workers, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, Sheffield, England, from 17 January 2022
Figure 2
Figure 2
Number of healthcare workers eligible to return to work on consecutive days following a positive SARS-CoV-2 test, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, Sheffield, England, 17 January–7 February 2022 (n = 132)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. United Kingdom Health and Security Agency (UKHSA). COVID-19 self-isolation changes: scientific summary. London: UKHSA. [Accessed: 5 Feb 2022]. Available from: https://ukhsalibrary.koha-ptfs.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2022/01...
    1. United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC). Interim guidance for managing healthcare personnel with SARS-COV-2 infection or exposure to SARS-COV-2. Atlanta: US CDC. [Accessed: 29 Jan 2022]. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/guidance-risk-assesment-hc...
    1. United Kingdom Health and Security Agency. COVID-19: management of staff and exposed patients or residents in health and social care settings. London: gov.uk. [Accessed: 18 Jan 2022]. Available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-management-of-expose...
    1. Keeley AJ, Evans C, Colton H, Ankcorn M, Cope A, State A, et al. Roll-out of SARS-CoV-2 testing for healthcare workers at a large NHS Foundation Trust in the United Kingdom, March 2020. Euro Surveill. 2020;25(14):2000433. 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.14.2000433 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Jang S, Rhee JY, Wi YM, Jung BK. Viral kinetics of SARS-CoV-2 over the preclinical, clinical, and postclinical period. Int J Infect Dis. 2021;102:561-5. 10.1016/j.ijid.2020.10.099 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Supplementary concepts