Diagnosis of COVID-19 Based on Symptomatic Analysis of Hospital Healthcare Workers in Belgium: Observational Study in a Large Belgian Tertiary Care Center During Early COVID-19 Outbreak

Published on
Journal: Journal of occupational and environmental medicine
[저자] Nele Van Loon, Mathieu Verbrugghe, Reinoud Cartuyvels, Dirk Ramaekers
[Category] MERS,
PMC URL    Pubmed URL    [DOI] 10.1097/JOM.0000000000002015    
[Article Type] Observational Study
[Source] PMC

Abstract
Objective: To identify early symptoms allowing rapid appraisal of infection with SARS-CoV-2 among healthcare workers of a large Belgian hospital.
Methods: Healthcare workers with mild symptoms of an acute respiratory tract infection were systematically screened on clinical characteristics of corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19). A nasopharyngeal swab was taken and analyzed by real-time Reverse-Transcription-Polymerase-Chain-Reaction (rRT-PCR).
Results: Fifty percent of 373 workers tested COVID-19 positive. The symptoms cough (82%), headache (78%), myalgia (70%), loss of smell or taste (40%), and fever more than or equal to 37.5 °C (76%) were significantly higher among those infected.
Conclusion: Where each individual symptom contributes to the clinical evaluation of possible infection, it is the combination of COVID-19 symptoms that could allow for a rapid diagnostic appraisal of the disease in a high prevalence setting. Early transmission control is important at the onset of an epidemic.

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