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. 2021 Mar;49(3):392-395.
doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2020.08.004. Epub 2020 Aug 12.

What are the sources of exposure in healthcare personnel with coronavirus disease 2019 infection?

Trina F Zabarsky  1 , Davinder Bhullar  2 , Sandra Y Silva  3 , Thriveen S C Mana  3 , Michael T Ertle  2 , Maria E Navas  4 , Curtis J Donskey  5
Affiliations

What are the sources of exposure in healthcare personnel with coronavirus disease 2019 infection?

Trina F Zabarsky et al. Am J Infect Control. 2021 Mar.

Abstract

In our facility, 25% of personnel with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) had a higher-risk exposure to an infected patient or co-worker and 14% reported a higher-risk exposure in the community. All higher-risk exposures to infected patients occurred on non-COVID-19 units, often when there was a delay in diagnosis because COVID-19 was not initially suspected. Higher-risk exposures to co-workers with COVID-19 often involved lapses in compliance with masking in nonpatient care areas such as nursing stations and staff work or break rooms.

Keywords: Acquisition; Facemask; Nosocomial; Personal protective equipment; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

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Fig 1
Fig 1
Number of high-risk exposures to known COVID-19 cases over the course of the study by exposure category.
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