ABSTRACT
Background/aim: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), has been appeared first in China since December 2019. Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 occurs primarily with droplets through coughing and sneezing and also occurs through inhalation of aerosolized secretions, which travel, remain suspended in the air longer. Materials and methods: Since early stages of the outbreak, COVID-19 cases have been described in healthcare workers (HCWs). However, in the early stages, the disease may be asymptomatic. This may lead to incorrect diagnosis or delayed diagnosis and may lead to the nosocomial spread of the virus. One of the most important causes of transmission among HCWs is being exposed to an aerosolized virus in a closed environment for a long time. It is possible to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19 in hospitals with outpatient treatment and triage. Results: Infection control measures, including wearing surgical masks, hand hygiene, and social distance are considered essential in preventing human-to-human transmissions of SARS-CoV-2. Immediate response and practices of infection control measures are critical for saving lives during an epidemic inside and outside the hospital. Conclusion: Analyzing current knowledge about the features of SARS-CoV-2 infection, screening, personal protection protocols, triage and psychological support practices for healthcare professionals can be promising in terms of controlling the infection.
Subject(s)
COVID-19/prevention & control , Hand Hygiene , Infection Control/organization & administration , Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional/prevention & control , Pandemics/prevention & control , Adult , Asymptomatic Infections/epidemiology , Body Temperature , COVID-19/epidemiology , Hand Hygiene/methods , Health Personnel , Hospitals , Humans , Infection Control/methods , Infection Control/standards , Masks , Physical Distancing , SARS-CoV-2ABSTRACT
On December 31, 2019; unidentified pneumonia cases were reported from China. It was soon announced that these cases were of viral origin and the cause was a new coronavirus (CoV). Initially, the virus was called "novel CoV " and then defined as "severe acute respiratory syndrome CoV 2 (SARS-CoV-2)" after more detailed investigations. The disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 was named CoV disease 2019 (COVID-19) by the World Health Organization. The rapid spread of the disease in a few months has resulted in a global pandemic and it continues. However, there are no specific effective anti-viral drugs for SARS-CoV-2 infection, some antiviral drugs are using in the therapy of COVID-19 with limited success. Currently, for the prevention of the pandemic, global vaccination seems to be important. Antiviral protection of vaccines is provided by the development of antibodies that can neutralize the virus. Antibody response develops against spike protein and nucleocapsid protein but neutralizing antibodies are formed against the receptor-binding domain of the spike protein. It has also been shown that most viral proteins are recognized in T-cell responses. Vaccine discovery trials for COVID-19 have begun all over the world since the outbreak began. More than 100 vaccine studies against COVID-19 have been published in the last year. Some of them were urgently approved and used worldwide. The current study aimed to review the progression and current use of COVID-19 vaccines.
ABSTRACT
COVID-19 is a global threat with an increasing number of infections. Research on IgG seroprevalence among health care workers (HCWs) is needed to re-evaluate health policies. This study was performed in three pandemic hospitals in Istanbul and Kocaeli. Different clusters of HCWs were screened for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Seropositivity rate among participants was evaluated by chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay. We recruited 813 non-infected and 119 PCR-confirmed infected HCWs. Of the previously undiagnosed HCWs, 22 (2.7%) were seropositive. Seropositivity rates were highest for cleaning staff (6%), physicians (4%), nurses (2.2%) and radiology technicians (1%). Non-pandemic clinic (6.4%) and ICU (4.3%) had the highest prevalence. HCWs in "high risk" group had similar seropositivity rate with "no risk" group (2.9 vs 3.5 p = 0.7). These findings might lead to the re-evaluation of infection control and transmission dynamics in hospitals.