TY - JOUR
T1 - COVID-19 in health-care workers in three hospitals in the south of the Netherlands
T2 - A cross-sectional study
AU - Sikkema, Reina S.
AU - Pas, Suzan D.
AU - Nieuwenhuijse, David F.
AU - O'Toole, Áine
AU - Verweij, Jaco J.
AU - van der Linden, Anne
AU - Chestakova, Irina
AU - Schapendonk, Claudia
AU - Pronk, Mark
AU - Lexmond, Pascal
AU - Bestebroer, Theo
AU - Overmars, Ronald J.
AU - van Nieuwkoop, Stefan
AU - van den Bijllaardt, Wouter
AU - Bentvelsen, Robbert G.
AU - van Rijen, Miranda M.L.
AU - Buiting, Anton G.M.
AU - van Oudheusden, Anne J.G.
AU - Diederen, Bram M.
AU - Bergmans, Anneke M.C.
AU - van der Eijk, Annemiek
AU - Molenkamp, Richard
AU - Rambaut, Andrew
AU - Timen, Aura
AU - Kluytmans, Jan A.J.W.
AU - Oude Munnink, Bas B.
AU - Kluytmans van den Bergh, Marjolein F.Q.
AU - Koopmans, Marion P.G.
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank David van der Vijver and Miranda de Graaf (Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands) for technical support. This study has been partly funded by EU Horizon 2020 projects RECoVer (no 101003589), VEO (no 874735), and the European Joint Programme One Health METASTAVA (no 773830), and by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health (contract HHSN272201400008C).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license
PY - 2020/11/1
Y1 - 2020/11/1
N2 - Background 10 days after the first reported case of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)
infection in the Netherlands (on Feb 27, 2020), 55 (4%) of 1497 health-care workers in nine hospitals located in the
south of the Netherlands had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. We aimed to gain insight in possible sources of
infection in health-care workers.
Methods We did a cross-sectional study at three of the nine hospitals located in the south of the Netherlands. We
screened health-care workers at the participating hospitals for SARS-CoV-2 infection, based on clinical symptoms
(fever or mild respiratory symptoms) in the 10 days before screening. We obtained epidemiological data through
structured interviews with health-care workers and combined this information with data from whole-genome
sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 in clinical samples taken from health-care workers and patients. We did an in-depth
analysis of sources and modes of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in health-care workers and patients.
Findings Between March 2 and March 12, 2020, 1796 (15%) of 12022 health-care workers were screened, of whom
96 (5%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. We obtained complete and near-complete genome sequences from 50 healthcare workers and ten patients. Most sequences were grouped in three clusters, with two clusters showing local
circulation within the region. The noted patterns were consistent with multiple introductions into the hospitals
through community-acquired infections and local amplification in the community.
Interpretation Although direct transmission in the hospitals cannot be ruled out, our data do not support widespread
nosocomial transmission as the source of infection in patients or health-care workers.
AB - Background 10 days after the first reported case of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)
infection in the Netherlands (on Feb 27, 2020), 55 (4%) of 1497 health-care workers in nine hospitals located in the
south of the Netherlands had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. We aimed to gain insight in possible sources of
infection in health-care workers.
Methods We did a cross-sectional study at three of the nine hospitals located in the south of the Netherlands. We
screened health-care workers at the participating hospitals for SARS-CoV-2 infection, based on clinical symptoms
(fever or mild respiratory symptoms) in the 10 days before screening. We obtained epidemiological data through
structured interviews with health-care workers and combined this information with data from whole-genome
sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 in clinical samples taken from health-care workers and patients. We did an in-depth
analysis of sources and modes of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in health-care workers and patients.
Findings Between March 2 and March 12, 2020, 1796 (15%) of 12022 health-care workers were screened, of whom
96 (5%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. We obtained complete and near-complete genome sequences from 50 healthcare workers and ten patients. Most sequences were grouped in three clusters, with two clusters showing local
circulation within the region. The noted patterns were consistent with multiple introductions into the hospitals
through community-acquired infections and local amplification in the community.
Interpretation Although direct transmission in the hospitals cannot be ruled out, our data do not support widespread
nosocomial transmission as the source of infection in patients or health-care workers.
U2 - 10.1016/S1473-3099(20)30527-2
DO - 10.1016/S1473-3099(20)30527-2
M3 - Article
C2 - 32622380
AN - SCOPUS:85087775080
VL - 20
SP - 1273
EP - 1280
JO - The Lancet Infectious Diseases
JF - The Lancet Infectious Diseases
SN - 1473-3099
IS - 11
ER -