Effectiveness of Personal Protective Equipment in Preventing Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection among Healthcare Workers

Suzuki, Tetsuya; Hayakawa, Kayoko; Ainai, Akira; Iwata-Yoshikawa, Naoko; Sano, Kaori; Nagata, Noriyo; Suzuki, Tadaki; Wakimoto, Yuji; Akiyama, Yutaro; Miyazato, Yusuke; Nakamura, Keiji; Ide, Satoshi; Nomoto, Hidetoshi; Nakamoto, Takato; Ota, Masayuki; Moriyama, Yuki; Sugiki, Yuko; Saito, Sho; Morioka, Shinichiro; Ishikane, Masahiro; Kinoshita, Noriko; Kutsuna, Satoshi; Ohmagari, Norio

Introduction Information on the effectiveness of personal protective equipment (PPE) for preventing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection among healthcare workers (HCWs), especially among HCWs with frequent contact with patients with SARS-CoV-2, is limited. Methods We conducted a prospective cohort study on 49 HCWs who worked in close contact with patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. HCWs had blood samples taken every 2 weeks to test for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies using two different types of assay. Results Forty-nine participants (31 nurses, 15 doctors, 3 other workers) were enrolled. In total, 112 blood samples are obtained from participants. The median work days in 2 weeks was 9 (interquartile range (IQR): 5-10) days. In a single work day, 30 of the 49 participants (61.5%) had contact with patients with suspected or conformed SARS-CoV-2 at least 8 times, and approximately 60% of participants had more than 10 minutes of contact with a single patient. The median self-reported compliance to PPE was 90% (IQR: 80-100%). Seven participants tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibody using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); however, none were seropositive for SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody, so the positive ELISA results were assumed to be false-positive. Conclusions The study provides evidence that appropriate PPE is sufficient to prevent infection amongHCWs. It is necessary to establish a system that provides a stable supply of PPE for HCWs to perform their duties.