key: cord-1054339-5psqs7q6
authors: Stefanizzi, Pasquale; Martinelli, Andrea; Ferorelli, Davide; Soldano, Savino; Marra, Maurizio; Dell’Aera, Maria; Dattoli, Vitangelo; Vimercati, Luigi; Tafuri, Silvio
title: Rapid decrease of SARS-COV-2 circulation in a big Italian Hospital 6 weeks after the start of the immunization program
date: 2021-03-25
journal: J Hosp Infect
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhin.2021.03.016
sha: f5275d6e957afb81002cc156682ad90b517ccace
doc_id: 1054339
cord_uid: 5psqs7q6

nan

Since the start of SARS-COV-2 pandemic, clusters in hospitals settings have been described worldwide. Therefore, healthcare workers (HCWs) are considered as a group at high risk of SARS-COV-2 infection [1] . In Italy, in 2020 February-May, 119 doctors died because of COVID-19 and globally, in 2020, 91,270 COVID-19 cases have been notified among HCWs, with a case-fatality rate of 0.2% [2] . On December 27 th 2020 the Italian Ministry of Health began the immunization campaign against SARS-COV-2, targeting, as a priority group, HCWs.

Policlinico Bari General Hospital in the most important teaching hospital in southern Italy with 1000 beds (150 for COVID-19 patients) in 50 different wards, and 5857 employees. Since April 2020, periodic screening for SARS-CoV-2 infection has been carried out among healthcare workers (HCWs), using polymerase chain reaction on nasopharyngeal swabs. HCWs from COVID-19 units are screened every 2 weeks; other HCWs are screened monthly [3] .

The SARS-CoV-2 immunization campaign started in Policlinico Bari using Pfizer-BioNTech HCWs who recevied 1° dose 14 days earlier HCWs who recevied 2° dose 7 days earlier completing the second dose offer according to the minimum time reported in the official RCP. This observation is consistent with other recently published experiences [6] . There is now growing evidence that the benefits of prioritizing coverage by giving as many individuals their first dose does not seriously affect vaccine efficacy and immunogenicity, although much guidance continues to advocate completion of the vaccination schedule in accordance with manufacturers' guidance [7, 8] . To the effects of direct protection from the first doses of vaccine must be added to the indirect protection related to the reduction of SARS-COV-2 circulation that is achieved when an important proportion of population is immunized.

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