Control and Prevention of SARS-CoV-2 Outbreaks among Healthcare Workers from 129 Healthcare Facilities in Mexico

Abstract

Few reports have shared the workflows to reduce SARS-CoV-2 infections among risk groups, including healthcare workers (HCWs). This study describes an occupational health program implemented to reduce the incidence of COVID-19 and establishes a back-to-work algorithm in HCWs of 129 Salud Digna outpatient care clinics in Mexico. This program was composed of training plans, screening SARS-CoV-2 infections, the containment of infections, follow-up COVID-19 cases, and continuing supervision in addition to the steady supply and training for the correct use of PPE. From 16 April 2020 to 15 April 2021, 7376 individuals were enrolled, of which 423 were excluded because they did not meet the inclusion criteria or refused the follow-up. In the cohort studied, we found a COVID-19 incidence of 35.4% (2610 individuals), lower hospitalization (0.11%), ICU (0.04%) and lethality rate (0.04%). Additionally, 85.9% of COVID-19 cases tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 after 14 days of the first positive test with an average isolation time of 26–33 days. Finally, 99% of people received personal protective equipment and adequate training to use it. Our results show that the program implemented reduced the hospitalization ICU admission and lethality in HCWs; we consider this workflow to help other workplaces offer safe conditions for HCWs and patients.

Impact of the First Phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Acquisition of Goods and Services in the Italian Health System

“…As a litmus test, a particularly critical market issue was that of personal protective equipment (PPE). PPE proved to be essential for the containment of the epidemic outside hospitals and fundamental in managing the epidemic within health facilities, in particular for the protection of health workers [ 4 , 5 ]. Studies in the literature have highlighted the difficulties in supplying these devices in different countries [ 3 , 6 , 7 , 8 ] and, in particular, Dai et al [ 9 ] highlighted that from the very beginning of the pandemic spread, there was a clear lack of availability of PPE, while Pecchia et al [ 10 ] analysed the inadequacy of the European regulation for the PPE certification process in an emergency context.…”