Neurological

Exposure to hospital-acquired SARS-CoV-2 infection estimated

HealthDay News – During the first wave of COVID-19, at least 11.3 percent of patients with COVID-19 in 314 UK hospitals were infected after admission, according to a research letter published online in The Lancet on Aug. 12.

Jonathan M. Read, Ph.D., of Lancaster University in the UK, and colleagues studied the extent of nosocomial COVID-19 in acute and long-term hospital settings for the National Health Service in the UK during the first wave of pandemics. The records of COVID-19 patients in UK hospitals have been examined with symptoms appearing before August 1, 2020.

The researchers estimated that 11.3 percent of patients with COVID in 314 UK hospitals were infected upon admission. By mid-May 2020, after the high number of visitors, this proportion rose to at least 15.8 percent. An estimated 6.8 percent of all patients with COVID-19 were nosocomial, and 8.2 percent were nosocomial at their peak in mid-May, with an extremely conservative symptom onset threshold used at least 14 days after admission to identify hospital-acquired infections (HAIs ) to identify. A clear heterogeneity was found in the proportion of HAIs between hospital trusts and in the type of care provided; lower proportions were observed in acute and general care hospitals compared to inpatient community hospitals and psychiatric hospitals (9.7 percent versus 61.9 and 67.5 percent, respectively).

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“The underlying reasons for these high transmission rates in hospitals at the height of the first wave need to be explored so that we can improve safety and outcomes for our patients,” a co-author said in a statement. “The rates are significantly lower a year later, and people shouldn’t be prevented from going to the hospital if they feel unwell.”

Several authors have disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical, nutritional, and other industries.

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COVID19 general medicine

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