key: cord-0031734-d9hotqjj
authors: Legeay, Clément; Peron, William; Le Bihan, Clément; Pivert, Adeline; Lefeuvre, Caroline
title: SARS-CoV-2 detection on healthcare workers' hands caring for COVID-19 patients
date: 2022-05-17
journal: J Hosp Infect
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhin.2022.05.005
sha: a217c9a5c2c36f9e239cd5ae75f47fccbe4f373a
doc_id: 31734
cord_uid: d9hotqjj

nan

Despite the fact that hand hygiene is considered an important issue in preventing SARS-CoV-20 2 transmission, very few studies have documented the detection or survival of the SARS- 21 CoV-2 on human skin [1, 2] . None, to our knowledge, has been conducted under real-life 22 conditions. 23 We conducted an observational study from May to October 2021 (mainly variant Delta 24 spread) in a University Hospital to assess the detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA on HCWs' 25 hands involved in COVID-19 patients' care.

We included any type of care delivered to hospitalized isolated COVID-19 cases (i.e. patients One hundred and ninety-four samples were collected, respectively 62, 66 and 66 samples 47 before care, after care and after hand hygiene relating to 54 patients (more than one contact 48 was observed for seven patients). Table I with no gloves worn. The patient was intubated, non-immunocompromised and unvaccinated. 57 The patient had been symptomatic for 2 days; Charlson score was 6 and treatment was with 58 dexamethasone. The second positive sample was from a nursing assistant after bathing a 59 patient on a general ward . The patient was not immunocompromised, had a 3-day history of 60 symptoms and had received 1 dose of vaccine. Katz and Charlson scores were 5 and 10, 61 respectively; the patient was receiving neither specific treatment for COVID-19, nor oxygen; 62 they were coughing, but not wearing a mask.

To our knowledge, our study is the first to characterize SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection on 

Modeling the stability of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) 96 on skin, currency, and clothing

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and Influenza Virus 100 on Human Skin: Importance of Hand Hygiene in Coronavirus Disease

Frequent 103 detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA on 104 hands and skin of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Nosocomial 107 transmission and outbreaks of coronavirus disease 2019: the need to protect both patients 108 and healthcare workers

Nosocomial Transmission of Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Retrospective Study of 66

Hospital-acquired Cases in a London Teaching Hospital

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Surface and Air 116

Contamination in an Acute Healthcare Setting During the Peak of the Coronavirus

COVID-19) Pandemic in London

Evaluation of eluents for the recovery of an enveloped virus 120 from hands by whole-hand sampling