Universal screening of SARS-CoV-2 of oncology healthcare workers — a Brazilian experience

Ismael Amaral Silva, P. A.; Ismael, C.; Marchon da Silva, C.; Domenge, C.

Background: The outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has placed unprecedented strain on health-care services worldwide. Centro de Terapia Oncologica (CTO) is a Oncology clinic in Petropolis, countryside of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This discussion aims to appoint the necessity of mass testing of both symptomatic and asymptomatic health-care workers (HCWs), in order to avoid workforce unnecessary quarantine, reduce spread in asymptomatic or mild cases and protect the health of HCWs and patients. Method(s): Between 09 and 29 April of 2020, 60 CTO HCWs were tested for COVID-19. They were all tested through IgM/IgG rapid testing by near-patient lateral flow devices, while nasopharyngeal swabs and reverse transcriptase polymerase-chain-reaction (RT-PCR) for SARS-CoV-2 were added as a secondary investigational method amongst symptomatic HCWs. In total, 62 tests were done: 61 IgM/IgG tests were done and 1 nasopharyngeal swab for RT-PCR testing. Result(s): A total of 4 HCW tested positive among 62 tests. They were all immediately quarantined for 14 days and represent 6,6% of the service's total workforce. Out of the 4 positive cases, 2 were female, with 60 years or more, and the remaining 2 were men aged between 30 and 42 years;3 of these HCW were asymptomatic and only 1 had symptoms of the disease. Results illustrated in the table. [Formula presented] Conclusion(s): Wide availability of testing for antibodies and the universal testing of HCW would be a game changer as it: reduces in-hospital transmission;reduces a potential source of asymptomatic ongoing transmission during a period of social distancing;promotes the wellbeing of HCW ensuring that infected colleagues are promptly tested and isolated;enables the service to isolate those who require it, avoiding being short-staffed due to self-isolation or widespread contamination of the HCW. Unfortunately, mass testing is still not a palpable reality for most healthcare services in Brazil, especially in the public health sector, mainly due to financial reasons. Legal entity responsible for the study: The authors. Funding(s): Has not received any funding. Disclosure: All authors have declared no conflicts of interest. Copyright © 2020