AUTHOR=Ng Chester Yan Hao , Lim Nicole-Ann , Bao Lena X. Y. , Quek Amy M. L. , Seet Raymond C. S. 

TITLE=Mitigating SARS-CoV-2 Transmission in Hospitals: A Systematic Literature Review

JOURNAL=Public Health Reviews

VOLUME=43

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.ssph-journal.org/journals/public-health-reviews/articles/10.3389/phrs.2022.1604572

DOI=10.3389/phrs.2022.1604572

ISSN=2107-6952

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Objectives:</bold> Hospital outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2 infection are dreaded but preventable catastrophes. We review the literature to examine the pattern of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in hospitals and identify potential vulnerabilities to mitigate the risk of infection.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> Three electronic databases (PubMed, Embase and Scopus) were searched from inception to July 27, 2021 for publications reporting SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks in hospital. Relevant articles and grey literature reports were hand-searched.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> Twenty-seven articles that described 35 SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks were included. Despite epidemiological investigations, the primary case could not be identified in 37% of outbreaks. Healthcare workers accounted for 40% of primary cases (doctors 17%, followed by ancillary staff 11%). Mortality among infected patients was approximately 15%. By contrast, none of the infected HCWs died. Several concerning patterns were identified, including infections involving ancillary staff and healthcare worker infections from the community and household contacts.</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> Continuous efforts to train-retrain and enforce correct personal protective equipment use and regular routine screening tests (especially among ancillary staff) are necessary to stem future hospital outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2.</p>