Explained: Are doctors, nurses getting infected by Covid without knowing it?

Coronavirus (COVID-19): Now, a study has found hospital staff may be carrying the virus without realising it.

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The study covered staff in hospitals under the UK National Health Service (NHS), and was published in eLife. (File Photo)

It is already known that many people can show no symptoms after getting infected with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. Now, a study has found hospital staff may be carrying the virus without realising it. The study covered staff in hospitals under the UK National Health Service (NHS), and was published in eLife.

University of Cambridge researchers swabbed and tested over 1,200 NHS staff at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, throughout April. The samples were analysed using the PCR technique. At the same time, staff members were asked about relevant coronavirus symptoms, the university said in a statement.

Of the more than 1,000 staff members reporting fit for duty during the study period, 3% nevertheless tested positive for the coronavirus. Around one in five reported no symptoms, two in five had very mild symptoms that they had dismissed as inconsequential, and a further two in five reported Covid-19 symptoms that had stopped more than a week previously.

In NHS hospitals, areas caring for Covid-patients are marked “red” areas. The study found that despite wearing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), “red” area staff were three times more likely to test positive than staff working in areas free of Covid-19. The researchers noted, however, that it is not clear whether this reflects greater rates of transmission from patients to staff in red areas: Staff may have transmitted the virus to each other or acquired it at home.

Source: University of Cambridge.

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