ArticleInfection control and hospital epidemiology2020
Escalating infection control response to the rapidly evolving epidemiology of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) due to SARS-CoV-2 in Hong Kong.
Article in Infection control and hospital epidemiology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 241 papers, 11 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
241 citing papers in PubMed, 11 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 489 citations in OpenAlex.
- The filtration performance of fabrics against particles of viral size: a systematic review.BMC infectious diseases · 2026Pooled it
- SARS-CoV-2 air sampling: A systematic review on the methodologies for detection and infectivity.Indoor air · 2022Pooled it
- A review on measurements of SARS-CoV-2 genetic material in air in outdoor and indoor environments: Implication for airborne transmission.The Science of the total environment · 2022Pooled it
- Hospital-onset COVID-19 infection surveillance systems: a systematic review.The Journal of hospital infection · 2021Pooled it
- SARS-CoV-2: a systematic review of indoor air sampling for virus detection.Environmental science and pollution research international · 2021Pooled it
- Airborne spread of infectious SARS-CoV-2: Moving forward using lessons from SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV.The Science of the total environment · 2021Pooled it
- [Is Disinfection of Public Surfaces useful for the Prevention of SARS-CoV-2 Infections?]Gesundheitswesen (Bundesverband der Arzte des Offentlichen Gesundheitsdienstes (Germany)) · 2021Pooled it
- Assessment of Air Contamination by SARS-CoV-2 in Hospital Settings.JAMA network open · 2020Pooled it
- What proportion of healthcare worker masks carry virus? A systematic review.Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA · 2020Pooled it
- On the whereabouts of SARS-CoV-2 in the human body: A systematic review.PLoS pathogens · 2020Pooled it
- Face masks vs. COVID-19: a systematic review.Investigacion y educacion en enfermeria · 2020Pooled it
- Article
- Can machine learning support infection control measures by predicting carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales colonization at admission?Infection control and hospital epidemiology · 2026Article
- Outbreak of melioidosis in a highly urbanized area.Emerging microbes & infections · 2025Article
- The East Africa Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Learning Network: An Approach to Improving IPC Competencies and Practices During the COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020-2023.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2025Article
- Enhancing bedding hygiene in long-term care facilities: investigating the impact of multilevel antimicrobial polymers (MAP-1) on bacterial and MDRO reduction.Antimicrobial resistance and infection control · 2025Article
- Mapping the viral battlefield: SARS-CoV-2 infection dynamics among healthcare workers in Brazil.Human resources for health · 2025Article
- Population Behavior Regarding the Use of Face Masks to Prevent the Transmission of Respiratory Infections: Lessons to Be Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Navigating Uncertainty with Compassion: Healthcare Assistants' Reflections on Balancing COVID-19 and Routine Care through Adversity.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Challenges of mesenchymal stem cells in the clinical treatment of COVID-19.Cell and tissue research · 2024Review
181 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo describe the infection control preparedness measures undertaken for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) due to SARS-CoV-2 (previously known as 2019 novel coronavirus) in the first 42 days after announcement of a cluster of pneumonia in China, on December 31, 2019 (day 1) in Hong Kong.
methodsA bundled approach of active and enhanced laboratory surveillance, early airborne infection isolation, rapid molecular diagnostic testing, and contact tracing for healthcare workers (HCWs) with unprotected exposure in the hospitals was implemented. Epidemiological characteristics of confirmed cases, environmental samples, and air samples were collected and analyzed.
resultsFrom day 1 to day 42, 42 of 1,275 patients (3.3%) fulfilling active (n = 29) and enhanced laboratory surveillance (n = 13) were confirmed to have the SARS-CoV-2 infection. The number of locally acquired case significantly increased from 1 of 13 confirmed cases (7.7%, day 22 to day 32) to 27 of 29 confirmed cases (93.1%, day 33 to day 42; P < .001). Among them, 28 patients (66.6%) came from 8 family clusters. Of 413 HCWs caring for these confirmed cases, 11 (2.7%) had unprotected exposure requiring quarantine for 14 days. None of these was infected, and nosocomial transmission of SARS-CoV-2 was not observed. Environmental surveillance was performed in the room of a patient with viral load of 3.3 × 106 copies/mL (pooled nasopharyngeal and throat swabs) and 5.9 × 106 copies/mL (saliva), respectively. SARS-CoV-2 was identified in 1 of 13 environmental samples (7.7%) but not in 8 air samples collected at a distance of 10 cm from the patient's chin with or without wearing a surgical mask.
conclusionAppropriate hospital infection control measures was able to prevent nosocomial transmission of SARS-CoV-2.
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