10% of coronavirus infections in England among healthcare and social care workers

At least 10 per cent of all coronavirus infections in England were in healthcare and social care workers, experts revealed today.

A further one per cent of Covid-19 infections were acquired by patients in hospital – though this may be an underestimate – and six per cent were in care home residents.

The reason for the high infection rate in patient-facing healthcare workers and social care workers could not be fully established but was thought to relate to the lack of PPE (personal protective equipment) at the start of the pandemic.

Other suspected factors were the lack of knowledge of how the virus was spread by asymptomatic carriers – which in turn led to a lack of social distancing or mask-wearing among hospital staff “in canteens, offices and corridors”.

Today’s report, from the independent DELVE (Data Evaluation and Learning for Viral Epidemics) group established by the Royal Society, called for a “root and branch” approach to hunting down new outbreaks to better prepare the NHS for winter and a feared second wave of coronavirus.

The report, which analysed infections reported in the six weeks between April 26 and June 7, criticised the lack of published data showing how individual NHS trusts and care homes had been hit by the virus.

Last week it emerged for the first time that 90 NHS workers in London had died with coronavirus.

The report, Covid-19 acquisition and its control in healthcare settings, said it was unknown how many of the infected healthcare workers and social care workers had passed the virus on to their family and friends.

Professor Dame Anne Johnson, of University College London, said it was impossible to know how many health or care staff had contracted the virus at work but it was likely to be a “substantial fraction”.

She added: “Hospital-acquired infections amplify community spread…. There is a revolving door from the hospital to the community and back again.”

Health and care workers are thought to have a risk of contracting the virus at least four times higher than other workers of a similar age.

The estimated number of patients who acquired Covid-19 in hospital was based on the number of diagnoses seven days and 14 days after admission.

Those diagnosed after a week were suspected to have acquired covid in hospital while those that developed it a fortnight after admission could only have contracted it from in-hospital contamination, the researchers said.

They called for a case-by-case crackdown on new infections in hospital, akin to the way MRSA bacterial infections were targeted in 20 years ago and hospital bosses ordered to take a “zero tolerance” approach or face financial penalties.

The report said there were gaps in our knowledge of the spread of covid, particularly in healthcare workers (including agency staff) and in nursing homes. It said “important questions remain unanswered”, including about the impact on Black, Asian and minority ethnic healthcare workers.

Dr Nigel Field, chair of the DELVE working group which wrote the report, said: “We also need better systems in place to understand how Covid-19 is spreading and greater coordination of our efforts to control hospital acquired infections and protect patients, staff and their families.

“We have a window of opportunity now to reinforce effective and efficient systems and infection control efforts.”