A study published in BMC Infectious Diseases, volume 24, highlights an in-depth analysis of the impact of varied interventions implemented in English hospitals during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. An estimated 55,000–90,000 hospital inpatients in England were potentially infected with nosocomial SARS-CoV-2 up until September 2021, with additional suspected cases among healthcare workers (HCWs). Interventions to limit transmission between patients and HCWs, such as admission testing and universal mask-wearing, were implemented from the onset of the pandemic.
The impact of these interventions, either individually or in combination, remains largely understudied. To bridge this knowledge gap, a team of infection prevention and control experts utilized an individual-based model of within-hospital transmission. Data sources included national and local COVID-related statistics, scientific literature, and expert opinion to build the model. The researchers simulated scenarios over a period from March 2020 to July 2022 to estimate how the pandemic might have unfolded had these interventions not been enforced.
The model envisages that without inpatient testing, infection prevention and control measures, and reductions in patient occupancy and visitor numbers, the number of patients contracting a nosocomial SARS-CoV-2 infection could have been twice as high. Also, the first wave might have seen over 600,000 HCWs infected. Noteworthy, isolation of symptomatic HCWs and universal masking were the most effective preventative measures. According to model findings, the interventions introduced over the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in England prevented approximately 400,000 patient infections and a close number of HCW infections. The implemented package of interventions has proven to be remarkably effective in minimizing nosocomial transmission to both patients and HCWs.
Source: https://bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12879-024-09330-z