ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Attitude of health care workers (HCW), namely registered nurses, towards SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and compulsory vaccination. METHOD: In a structured anonymous scientific survey from January 29 to April 26, 2021 a questionnaire was sent to 72 heads of orthopedic and trauma departments. The doctors were asked to distribute and recollect the questionnaire after obtaining informed consent from the hospital administration, the nursing management and the works council. Descriptive statistics were used to explain the results. RESULTS: 355 answers from 5 departments were evaluated. In 65 out of 72 hospitals the top managers of either hospital or nursing administration or the works council declined participation, 2 heads of department were not interested. 50,7% of HCW were already vaccinated or had a scheduled appointment for vaccination, 14,9% had not yet made up their mind and 34,4% refuse vaccination. The majority of HCW vote against compulsory vaccination (47,6%), less than a quarter approves it (23,4%). CONCLUSION: The willingness to vaccinate was extremely low in this survey. The main reason for refusal to vaccinate is fear of side effects, so an information campaign should primarily focus on this topic.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , SARS-CoV-2 , COVID-19 Vaccines , Health Personnel , Humans , VaccinationABSTRACT
Purpose: The local health department (in German: Gesundheitsamt) ordered a shutdown of a teaching hospital due to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak – one index patient and five infected healthcare workers – and put it under quarantine. For the first time, all patients plus all employees of one German hospital (healthcare providers, physicians, and nurses) were tested to detect silent or asymptomatic carriers. Methods: A serial polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for SARS-CoV-2 was performed three times (1) between April 3rd and 5th, 2020 [n = 1171], (2) between April 8th and 9th, 2020 [n = 953] and (3) between April 14th and 17th, 2020 [n = 983]. Results: The teaching hospital’s proven coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patient load on Friday, April 3rd, 2020, was 34 patients, of whom 11 were on ventilation in the intensive care unit (ICU), one in the intermediate care unit (IMC), and 22 in the infectious disease ward. Another 32 patients in a different infectious disease ward were suspected for COVID-19 with test results pending. COVID-19 silent carrier (asymptomatic) positivity rates based on the phases of testing were (1) n = 24 (2.1%), (2) n = 25 (2.6%) and n = 9 (0.9%). The cumulative infection rate for healthcare providers, physical therapists, physicians, and nurses was 1.8%, 4.5%, 4.8%, and 11.9% which were associated with the type and extent of COVID-19 patient contact (p 0.05). Conclusion: Despite prior proper preparation, a COVID-19 positive patient load of up to 34.8% (46 of 132 hospital beds) resulted in a 10- to 20-fold increase in risk for healthcare workers for SARS-CoV-2 compared to the general population. Because of asymptomatic carriers, a COVID-19-free hospital cannot be expected to exist. Based on our experience, repeated testing of all staff members with patient contact is necessary and is the best option to effectively contain the virus. Those having the most contact with patients had the highest risk of becoming infected (10- to 20-fold higher risk), with nurses being at the highest risk.
ABSTRACT
On Mar 11th, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated in its Situation Report - 51 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a pandemic. In early April 2020, a teaching hospital underwent shutdown and quarantine due to an outbreak of infection in accordance with Section 6 of the Infection Protection Act (index patient and 5 infected nursing staff). The complete staff (physicians, nurses and nonmedical personnel [NMP]) underwent COVID-19 testing within two phases: (1) between Apr 3rd and 5th, 2020 [n=1170], followed by (2) between Apr 8th and 9th, 2020 [n=953] with COVID-19 silent carrier positivity rates in accordance to testing phases of (1) n=19 (1.6%) and (2) n=25 (2.6%). The cumulative infection rate for NMP (1.6%), doctors (3.8%) and nurses (9.7%) was connected to type and extent of COVID-19 patient contact. Despite COVID-19 positivity of 34.8% (46 of 132 beds), a risk-free management of hospital operation is possible to a certain extent if hygiene regulations and strict patient selection are followed. However, a COVID-19-free clinic cannot be expected due to silent carriers.