A descriptive audit of healthcare workers exposed to COVID-19 at a tertiary care center in India.

OBJECTIVE

To provide a descriptive audit of healthcare workers (HCWs) exposed to COVID-19, and their contacts, to understand the dynamics of transmission among HCWs.

METHODS

Retrospective analysis of contact tracing data of infected HCWs was done from March 1, 2020 to July 31, 2020 at a tertiary care center in New Delhi, India. Contacts were categorized according to the nature of contact and followed for 14 days.

RESULTS

Qualitative RT-PCR testing was performed on 106 HCWs (from a total of 257) owing to exposure or development of symptoms. Positive results were found in 16 HCWs (6.2%) who were exposed to 120 other HCWs, generating 197 exposure incidents. Of these, 30 (15.2%) exposure incidents were high risk with multiple exposures in 48 (40.0%) HCWs. Exposure to infected HCWs was noted in 3 (18.8%) of 16 positive cases. Of the 197 exposure incidents, 54 (27.4%) were deemed avoidable exposures. Infection prevention and control policies were periodically reviewed, and the department implemented mitigating steps to minimize the risk to healthcare providers.

CONCLUSION

Instituting appropriate infection prevention and control policies and use of adequate precautions by HCWs is vital to minimize high-risk exposure to COVID-19.