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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) symptoms, patient contacts, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) positivity and seropositivity among healthcare personnel in a Maryland healthcare system

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 August 2021

Lyndsay M. O’Hara*
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
Gregory M. Schrank
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
Melissa Frisch
Affiliation:
Employee Health and Safety, University of Maryland Medical System, Baltimore, Maryland
Regina Hogan
Affiliation:
Employee Health and Safety, University of Maryland Medical System, Baltimore, Maryland
Kellie E. Deal
Affiliation:
Employee Health and Safety, University of Maryland Medical System, Baltimore, Maryland
Anthony D. Harris
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
Surbhi Leekha
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
*
Author for correspondence: Dr Lyndsay O’Hara, E-mail: lohara@som.umaryland.edu

Abstract

In a large, system-wide, healthcare personnel (HCP) testing experience using severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and serologic testing early in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, we did not find increased infection risk related to COVID-19 patient contact. Our findings support workplace policies for HCP protection and underscore the role of community exposure and asymptomatic infection.

Type
Concise Communication
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America

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