Universal Masking in Hospitals in the Covid-19 Era

Klompas, Michael; Morris, Charles A.; Sinclair, Julia; Pearson, Madelyn; Shenoy, Erica S.

doi:10.1056/nejmp2006372

Cited by 253 publications

(269 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Transmission from asymptomatic and presymptomatic carriers has been reported [9,10]. For this reason, some experts and institutions advocate the widespread use of surgical face masks to prevent both viral spreading from those possibly infected and infection in healthy individuals [8,11,12]. In ophthalmological practice, the working distance at the slit lamp between patient and examiner varies between 20 and 40 cm.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19: Ophthalmological Aspects of the SARS-CoV 2 Global Pandemic

Brantl

Schworm

Mayer

et al. 2020

Klin Monbl Augenheilkd

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ABSTR AC TPurpose To perform a systematic analysis of articles on the ophthalmological implications of the global COVID-19 pandemic.Methods PubMed.gov was searched for relevant articles using the keywords "COVID-19", "coronavirus", and "SARS-CoV-2" in conjunction with "ophthalmology" and "eye". Moreover, official recommendations of ophthalmological societies were systematically reviewed, with a focus on the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCOphth).

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19: Ophthalmological Aspects of the SARS-CoV 2 Global Pandemic

Brantl

Schworm

Mayer

et al. 2020

Klin Monbl Augenheilkd

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“…9 The possibility of nosocomial SARS-CoV-2 spread is increasingly recognized; although widespread testing of asymptomatic health care workers is not suggested at present, transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from asymptomatic carriers has been documented. 10 To reduce transmission risk, the Vancouver General Hospital has a policy of universal masking and eye shielding for all health care providers involved in direct patient care. With the possibility of nosocomial transmission, adherence to strict precautions and good hygiene for asymptomatic health care workers is crucial.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

SARS-CoV-2 infection in a 76-year-old man with initially negative nasopharyngeal swabs

Kumar

O’Neill

Johnston

et al. 2020

CMAJ

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A 76-year-old man presented to a quaternary care hospital with a 6-day history of respiratory symptoms, fatigue and a fainting episode. The patient had a resolving postinfectious dry cough from an upper respiratory infection that occurred 3 months before presentation. He had hypertension, gastritis, diabetes, sciatica, a remote 30 pack-year smoking history and no history of recreational drug use. His medications included metformin and rosuvastatin. He worked as a professor and attended language classes.In early March, our patient was informed of a potential classroom exposure to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). One week after this exposure, he had an outpatient nasopharyngeal swab for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) after 2 days of worsening cough. The results were negative for both the envelope and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase genes, which are common targets for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of SARS-CoV-2. A worsening dry cough, fatigue, exertional dyspnea, fevers, low appetite and diarrhea developed over the next 4 days. He presented to the emergency department 4 days after his first swab for SARS-CoV-2 (11 d after his potential exposure).The patient was admitted to hospital and placed under droplet and contact precautions. His initial vital signs included a body temperature of 38.6°C, blood pressure of 98/55 mm Hg with an orthostatic drop, pulse 94 beats/min, and a respiratory rate of 18 breaths/ min with an oxygen saturation of 96% on room air. A physical examination showed flat neck veins, and he had mild inspiratory bibasilar crackles. Bloodwork showed lymphopenia, but electrolytes and hepatic and renal function tests were normal. Chest radiography showed ill-defined right basal airspace opacification.We started treatment with crystalloids administered intravenously and ceftriaxone and azithromycin for pneumonia. Blood and stool culture tests performed on admission were negative; influenza A, influenza B and respiratory syncytial virus were not present; and a repeat nasopharyngeal swab for SARS-CoV-2 on admission also returned a negative result.On day 3 after admission, our patient became hypoxemic and he required 2 L/min of oxygen. Repeat radiography of the chest showed new bilateral, ill-defined patchy opacities. Results for an extended viral panel, legionella urinary antigen and a third nasopharyngeal swab for SARS-CoV-2 were negative. Consequently, we stopped droplet and contact precautions on day 3 of admission. A computed tomography (CT) scan of the chest showed bilateral ground glass opacification and septal lines (Figure 1). This was consistent with atypical bacterial or viral infection, and our differential diagnosis included edema, hemorrhage, drug reaction and connective tissue disease.On day 4 of admission, our patient's hypoxemia worsened and he required 5 L/min of oxygen. We consulted our respirology department. Given his history of progressive symptoms, persistent lymphopenia and potential exposure to a student with COVID-19, we were advised to...

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“…It can hence be concluded that surgical masks are valuable for preventing virus propagation from infected individuals, whilst their efficacy toward preventing droplet-driven infection of those wearing the mask is lower than that of N95 masks. Nevertheless, the widespread use of relatively inexpensive surgical masks is regarded as a valuable public health intervention that helps intercept transmission of the virus in the general population, as recently show by Leung et al [42,43], and by Feng et al [44], but shall also be regarded as a valuable visible reminder of an otherwise invisible yet widely prevalent virus, thus reminding people about the importance of adopting social distancing and other infection-control measures [45].…”

Section: What Personal Hygiene and Personal Protective Equipment (Ppementioning

confidence: 99%

Biosafety measures for preventing infection from COVID-19 in clinical laboratories: IFCC Taskforce Recommendations

Lippi

Adeli

Ferrari

et al. 2020

Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM)

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AbstractCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the third coronavirus outbreak that has emerged in the past 20 years, after severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). One important aspect, highlighted by many global health organizations, is that this novel coronavirus outbreak may be especially hazardous to healthcare personnel, including laboratory professionals. Therefore, the aim of this document, prepared by the COVID-19 taskforce of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC), is to provide a set of recommendations, adapted from official documents of international and national health agencies, on biosafety measures for routine clinical chemistry laboratories that operate at biosafety levels 1 (BSL-1; work with agents posing minimal threat to laboratory workers) and 2 (BSL-2; work with agents associated with human disease which pose moderate hazard). We believe that the interim measures proposed in this document for best practice will help minimazing the risk of developing COVID-19 while working in clinical laboratories.

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Universal Masking in Hospitals in the Covid-19 Era

Cited by 253 publications

References 5 publications

COVID-19: Ophthalmological Aspects of the SARS-CoV 2 Global Pandemic

COVID-19: Ophthalmological Aspects of the SARS-CoV 2 Global Pandemic

SARS-CoV-2 infection in a 76-year-old man with initially negative nasopharyngeal swabs

Biosafety measures for preventing infection from COVID-19 in clinical laboratories: IFCC Taskforce Recommendations

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