scholarly journals Linking Staff Cases in a Hospital COVID-19 Outbreak Using Electronic Tracking Data

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (S1) ◽  
pp. s48-s48
Author(s):  
Pragya Dhaubhadel ◽  
Margie Pace ◽  
Trina Augustine ◽  
Seth Hostetler ◽  
Mark Shelly
Keyword(s):  
Tracking System ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Healthcare Personnel ◽  
Hospital Unit ◽  
Respiratory Therapists ◽  
Voluntary Testing ◽  
Electronic Tracking ◽  
Nursing Station ◽  
Test Result ◽  
Close Contacts

Background: Significant outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2 infections have occurred in healthcare personnel (HCP). We used an electronic tracking system (ETS) as a tool to link staff cases of COVID-19 in place and time during a COVID-19 outbreak in a community hospital. Methods: We identified SARS-CoV-2 infection cases through surveillance, case investigation and contact tracing, and voluntary testing. For those wearing ETS badges (Centrak), data were reviewed for places occupied by the personnel during their incubation and infectious windows. Contacts beyond 15 minutes in the same location were considered close contacts. Results: Over 6 weeks (August 10–September 14, 2020), 35 HCPs tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by NAAT testing. In total, 18 nurses and aides were clustered on 1 hospital unit, 7 cases occurred among respiratory therapists that visited that unit, and 10 occurred in other departments. Overall, 17 individuals wore ETS badges as part of hand hygiene monitoring. ETS data established potential transmission opportunities in 17 instances, all but 2 before symptom onset or positive test result. Contacts were most often (10 of 17) in common work areas (nursing stations), with a median time of 45 minutes (IQR, 21–137). Contacts occurred within and between departments. A few COVID-19 patients were cared for in this location at the time of the outbreak. However, we did not detect HCP-to-patient nor patient-to-HCP transmission. Conclusions: Significant HCP-to-HCP transmission occurred during this outbreak based on ETS location. These events often occurred in shared work areas such as the nursing station in addition to break areas noted in other reports. ETS systems, installed for other purposes, can serve to reinforce standard epidemiology.Funding: NoDisclosures: None

scholarly journals Assessing testing strategies and duration of quarantine in contact tracing for SARS-CoV-2: a retrospective study of San Francisco’s COVID-19 contact tracing program, June- August, 2020

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
M J A Reid ◽  
P Prado ◽  
H Brosnan ◽  
A Ernst ◽  
H Spindler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Retrospective Study ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Testing Strategies ◽  
Close Contacts

Abstract We sought to assess the proportion of elicited close contacts diagnosed with COVID-19 at the start, and before exiting quarantine, in San Francisco, USA. From June 8th to August 31st, 6946 contacts were identified; 3008 (46.3%) tested, 940 (13.5%) tested positive; 90% tested positive in first 9 days of quarantine.

scholarly journals COVID-19 infection among international travellers: a prospective analysis

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. e050667
Author(s):  
Meaghan Lunney ◽  
Paul E Ronksley ◽  
Robert G Weaver ◽  
Lianne Barnieh ◽  
Norman Blue ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Critical Care ◽  
Outcome Measures ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Prospective Analysis ◽  
Pilot Programme ◽  
Negative Test ◽  
Secondary Transmission ◽  
To Receive ◽  
Test Result

ObjectivesThis report estimates the risk of COVID-19 importation and secondary transmission associated with a modified quarantine programme in Canada.Design and participantsProspective analysis of international asymptomatic travellers entering Alberta, Canada.InterventionsAll participants were required to receive a PCR COVID-19 test on arrival. If negative, participants could leave quarantine but were required to have a second test 6 or 7 days after arrival. If the arrival test was positive, participants were required to remain in quarantine for 14 days.Main outcome measuresProportion and rate of participants testing positive for COVID-19; number of cases of secondary transmission.ResultsThe analysis included 9535 international travellers entering Alberta by air (N=8398) or land (N=1137) that voluntarily enrolled in the Alberta Border Testing Pilot Programme (a subset of all travellers); most (83.1%) were Canadian citizens. Among the 9310 participants who received at least one test, 200 (21.5 per 1000, 95% CI 18.6 to 24.6) tested positive. Sixty-nine per cent (138/200) of positive tests were detected on arrival (14.8 per 1000 travellers, 95% CI 12.5 to 17.5). 62 cases (6.7 per 1000 travellers, 95% CI 5.1 to 8.5; 31.0% of positive cases) were identified among participants that had been released from quarantine following a negative test result on arrival. Of 192 participants who developed symptoms, 51 (26.6%) tested positive after arrival. Among participants with positive tests, four (2.0%) were hospitalised for COVID-19; none required critical care or died. Contact tracing among participants who tested positive identified 200 contacts; of 88 contacts tested, 22 were cases of secondary transmission (14 from those testing positive on arrival and 8 from those testing positive thereafter). SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 lineage was not detected in any of the 200 positive cases.Conclusions21.5 per 1000 international travellers tested positive for COVID-19. Most (69%) tested positive on arrival and 31% tested positive during follow-up. These findings suggest the need for ongoing vigilance in travellers testing negative on arrival and highlight the value of follow-up testing and contact tracing to monitor and limit secondary transmission where possible.

scholarly journals COVID-19 in a Rural Community: Outbreak Dynamics, Contact Tracing and Environmental RNA

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabel G. Fernández de Mera ◽  
Francisco J. Rodríguez del Río ◽  
José de la Fuente ◽  
Marta Pérez Sancho ◽  
Dolores Hervas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Community ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Rt Pcr ◽  
Rna Surveillance ◽  
Petrol Station ◽  
Early Testing ◽  
Resource Deployment ◽  
The Village ◽  
Close Contacts

Background: Since March 2020, Spain is severely hit by the ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Understanding and disrupting the early transmission dynamics of the infection is crucial for impeding sustained transmission. Methods: We recorded all COVID-19 cases and traced their contacts in an isolated rural community. We also sampled 10 households, 6 public service sites and the wastewater from the village sewage for environmental SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Results: The first village patient diagnosed with COVID-19-compatible symptoms occurred on March 3, 2020, twelve days before lockdown. A peak of 39 cases occurred on March 30. By May 15, the accumulated number of symptomatic cases was 53 (6% of the population), of which only 22 (41%) had been tested and confirmed by RT-PCR as SARS-CoV-2 infected, including 16 hospitalized patients. Contacts (n=144) were six times more likely to develop symptoms. Environmental sampling detected SARS-CoV-2 RNA in two households with known active cases and in two public service sites: the petrol station and the pharmacy. Samples from other sites and the wastewater tested negative. Conclusions: The low proportion of patients tested by RT-PCR calls for urgent changes in disease management. We propose that early testing of all cases and their close contacts would reduce infection spread, reducing the disease burden and fatalities. In a context of restricted testing, environmental RNA surveillance might prove useful for early warning and to identify high-risk settings enabling a targeted resource deployment.

scholarly journals Smart Management of Healthcare Professionals Involved in COVID-19 Contrast With SWAPS

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Bellavista ◽  
Marco Torello ◽  
Antonio Corradi ◽  
Luca Foschini
Keyword(s):  
Health Department ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Healthcare Personnel ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Regional Health ◽  
Positive Health ◽  
Risk Area ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Infected People ◽  
The University

The recent COVID-19 pandemic in Italy has highlighted several critical issues in the management process of infected people. At the health level, the management of the COVID-19 positive was mainly delegated to the regional authorities and centrally monitored by the State. Despite requested common activities (such as diagnosis of virus positivity, active surveillance of infected people and contact tracing), Regional Health Departments were able to issue specific directives in their territories and establish priority levels for each activity according to the specific needs related to the emergency in their area. The development of novel digital tools for the management of infected people become an urgent necessity to foster more organized and integrated solutions, able to quickly process large amounts of data. Mobile Crowdsensing methodologies could effectively facilitate needed lateral interviewing activities as well as the monitoring of crowds in environments with a high concentration of virus-positive subjects (such are hospital wards but also other locations), facilitating the tracing of possible outbreaks of contagion due to advanced geolocation techniques and big data analysis methods. This paper analyzes the functionality of SWAPS (Supporting Workflows for Healthcare Personnel management), a modular and scalable web platform which facilitate and reduces the management time of COVID positive health personnel within healthcare facilities. It also analyzes the possible integrations between SWAPS and ParticipACT, an advanced MCS platform developed by the University of Bologna that can help set up the alert notification in case of entry into a COVID risk area. This article surveys the current literature on software platforms to address COVID-19 and related tracing issues and presents the practical issues and on-the-field results obtained from the research developed by the University of Bologna by assisting the deployment of the proposed solution for a big Regional Health Department in the city of Bologna.

Implementation of the Canadian Contingency Plan for a Case of Suspected Viral Hemorrhagic Fever

2003 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 280-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Loeb ◽  
Douglas MacPherson ◽  
Michele Barton ◽  
Jan Olde
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Hemorrhagic Fever ◽  
Internal Communication ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Suspected Case ◽  
Viral Hemorrhagic Fever ◽  
Laboratory Equipment ◽  
Contingency Plan ◽  
Close Contacts

AbstractObjective:To describe the implementation of the Canadian contingency plan for viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) in response to a suspected case.Setting:A 300-bed, tertiary-care, university-affiliated hospital.Participants:A 32-year-old Congolese woman admitted to the hospital with suspected VHF in February 2001. Contact evaluation included hospital healthcare workers and laboratory staff.Intervention:Enhanced isolation precautions were implemented in the patient care setting to prevent nosocomial transmission. Contact tracing and evaluation of close and high-risk contacts with symptoms was conducted. Laboratory precautions included barrier precautions and diversion of specimens. Communication occurred to both hospital employees and the media.Results:Three high-risk contacts, 13 close contacts, and 60 casual contacts were identified. Two close contacts became symptomatic and required evaluation. Challenging process issues included tracing of laboratory specimens, decontamination of laboratory equipment, and internal and external communication. After 5 days, a transmissible VHF of public health consequence was ruled out in the index case.Conclusion:Contingency plans for VHF can be implemented in an efficient and feasible manner. Contact tracing, laboratory issues, internal communication, and media interest can be anticipated to be the key challenges.

scholarly journals 2457. Data Science for Outbreak Investigation: Identifying Risk Factors, Tracing Contacts, and Eliciting Transmission Pathways in a Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (VRE) Outbreak

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. S850-S850
Author(s):  
Stefan Zahnd ◽  
Theus Hossmann ◽  
Andrew Atkinson ◽  
Sabine Herbel ◽  
Luisa Salazar-Vizcaya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Medical Devices ◽  
Data Science ◽  
Length Of Hospital Stay ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Healthcare Personnel ◽  
Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci ◽  
Current Contact ◽  
Vancomycin Resistant ◽  
Transmission Pathways

Abstract Background In 2018 we experienced a nosocomial outbreak due to vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) in our hospital network. Our goals were to characterize risk factors for VRE acquisition, elicit potential hot spots of transmission, and delineate an optimized approach to tracing contacts. Methods We assembled diverse datasets of variable quality and covering different aspects of care from electronic medical records generated during the outbreak period (1/2018–9/2018). Patients who tested VRE-positive during this period were compared with controls with up to 3 negative screenings. First, we identified risk factors for VRE colonization by means of uni- and multivariate analyses. Next, we elicited transmission pathways by detecting commonalities between VRE cases, and determined whether patients with characteristics and connections similar to VRE cases were missed by our current contact tracing strategy. Results We compared 221 VRE patients to 33,624 controls. Independent predictors of VRE colonization were ICU admission (OR 4.9, with 95% confidence interval [3.7–6.5], P < 0.001)], number of records in the database (a proxy for severity-of-illness, OR 1.1 [1.1–1.1], P < 0.001), length of hospital stay (OR 2.7 [2.0–3.5], P < 0.001), age (OR 1.3 [1.2–1.4], P < 0.001), and weeks of antibiotics (OR 1.2 [1.1–1.3], P < 0.001). By using complex network analysis, we were able to establish three main pathways by which the 221 VRE cases are connected: healthcare personnel, medical devices, and patient rooms. This multi-dimensional network extends beyond our current contact tracing strategy, which captures inpatients based on geographical proximity (cf. figure). Conclusion In this outbreak investigation based on a large electronic healthcare data collection, we found three main risk factors for being a VRE carrier (ICU admission, length of hospital stay, antibiotic exposure), along with three important links between VRE cases (healthcare personnel, medical devices, patient rooms). Data science is likely to provide a better understanding of outbreaks, but interpretations should take data maturity, the scope of included sources, and potential confounding factors into account. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

scholarly journals Reducing contacts to stop SARS-CoV-2 transmission during the second pandemic wave in Brussels, Belgium

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brecht Ingelbeen ◽  
Laurène Peckeu ◽  
Marie Laga ◽  
Ilona Hendrix ◽  
Inge Neven ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
European Commission ◽  
Risk Ratio ◽  
Reproduction Number ◽  
Case Reports ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Social Mixing ◽  
Before School ◽  
Specific Number ◽  
Pandemic Wave ◽  
Close Contacts

AbstractBackgroundReducing contacts is a cornerstone of containing SARS-CoV-2. We evaluated the effect of physical distancing measures and of school reopening on contacts and consequently on SARS-CoV-2 transmission in Brussels, a hotspot during the second European wave.MethodsUsing SARS-CoV-2 case reports and contact tracing data during August-November 2020, we estimated changes in the age-specific number of reported contacts. We associated these trends with changes in the instantaneous reproduction number Rt and in age-specific transmission-events during distinct intervention periods in the Brussels region. Furthermore, we analysed trends in age-specific case numbers, pre- and post-school opening.FindingsWhen schools reopened and physical distancing measures relaxed, the weekly mean number of reported contacts surged from 2.01 (95%CI 1.73-2.29) to 3.04 (95%CI 2.93-3.15), increasing across all ages. The fraction of cases aged 10-19 years started increasing before school reopening, with no further increase following school reopening (risk ratio 1.23, 95%CI 0.79-1.94). During the subsequent month, 8.9% (67/755) of infections identified were from teenagers to other ages, while 17.0% (131/755) from other ages to teenagers. Rt peaked mid-September at 1.48 (95%CI 1.35-1.63). Reintroduction of physical distancing measures reduced reported contacts to 1.85 (95%CI 1.78-1.91), resulting in Rt dropping below 1 within 3 weeks.InterpretationThe second pandemic wave in Brussels was the result of increased contacts across all ages following school reopening. Stringent physical distancing measures, including closure of bars and limiting close contacts while schools remain open, reduced social mixing, in turn controlling SARS-CoV-2 transmission.FundingEuropean Commission H2020. GGC Brussel.

scholarly journals The first GAEN-based COVID-19 contact tracing app in Norway identifies 80% of close contacts in "real life" scenarios.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hinta Meijerink ◽  
Elisabeth H. Madslien ◽  
Camilla Mauroy ◽  
Mia Karoline Johansen ◽  
Sindre Mogster Braaten ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Operating Systems ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
P Value ◽  
Notification Rate ◽  
P Values ◽  
Time Threshold ◽  
Multiple Weights ◽  
Optimal Setting ◽  
Close Contacts

The COVID-19 response in most countries depends on testing, isolation, contact tracing, and quarantine, which is labor- and time consuming. Therefore, several countries worldwide launched Bluetooth based apps as supplemental tools. We evaluated the new Norwegian GAEN (Google Apple Exposure Notification) based contact tracing app 'Smittestopp' under two relevant simulated scenarios, namely standing in a queue and riding public transport. We compared two configurations (C1: 58/63 dBm; C2: 58/68 dBm) with multiple weights (1.0-2.5) and time thresholds (10-15 min), by calculating notification rates among close contacts (≤2 meters, ≥15 min) and other non-close contacts. In addition, we estimated the effect of using different operating systems and locations of phone (hand/pocket) using Chi2. C2 resulted in significantly higher notification rates than C1 (p-value 0.05 - 0.005). The optimal setting resulted in notifications among 80% of close contacts and 34% of other contacts, using C2 with weights of 2.0 for the low and 1.5 for the middle bucket with a 13-minutes time threshold. Among other contacts, the notification rate was 67% among those ≤2 meters for <15 minutes compared to 19% among those >2 meters (p=0.004). Significantly (p-values 0.046 - 0.001) lower notification rates were observed when using the iOS operating systems or carrying the phone in the pocket instead of in the hand. This study highlights the importance of testing and optimizing the performance of contact tracing apps under 'real life' conditions to optimized configuration for identifying close contacts.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document