Decreasing High-risk Exposures for Healthcare Workers Through Universal Masking and Universal Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Testing on Entry to a Tertiary Care Facility

Jeremey Walker; Molly E Fleece; Russell L Griffin; Sixto M Leal; Jorge A Alsip; William S Stigler; Sarah D Nafziger; Jeanne M Marrazzo; Rachael A Lee

doi:10.1093/cid/ciaa1358

Decreasing High-risk Exposures for Healthcare Workers Through Universal Masking and Universal Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Testing on Entry to a Tertiary Care Facility

Clin Infect Dis. 2021 Nov 2;73(9):e3113-e3115. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciaa1358.

Authors

Jeremey Walker¹, Molly E Fleece¹, Russell L Griffin², Sixto M Leal³, Jorge A Alsip⁴, William S Stigler⁵, Sarah D Nafziger⁶, Jeanne M Marrazzo¹, Rachael A Lee¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
² Department of Epidemiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
³ Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
⁴ Department of Health System Information Services, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
⁵ Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
⁶ Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.

Abstract

We describe the impact of universal masking and universal testing at admission on high-risk exposures to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 for healthcare workers. Universal masking decreased the rate of high-risk exposures per patient-day by 68%, and universal testing further decreased those exposures by 77%.

Keywords: PPE; SARS-CoV-2 transmission; aerosol generating procedure; hospital epidemiology; universal masking.

MeSH terms

COVID-19 Testing
COVID-19*
Health Personnel
Humans
SARS-CoV-2*
Tertiary Healthcare