Nosocomial outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 delta variant among vaccinated healthcare workers and immunocompromised patients on a solid-organ transplant unit: Complexities of an epidemiologic and genomic investigation

Jonathan H Ryder; Trevor C Van Schooneveld; Baha Abdalhamid; Macy G Wood; Taylor A Wahlig; Richard Starlin; Gayle Gillett; Teresa Balfour; Libby Pflueger; Mark E Rupp

doi:10.1017/ice.2022.233

Nosocomial outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 delta variant among vaccinated healthcare workers and immunocompromised patients on a solid-organ transplant unit: Complexities of an epidemiologic and genomic investigation

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2023 Aug;44(8):1355-1357. doi: 10.1017/ice.2022.233. Epub 2022 Sep 9.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska.
² Nebraska Public Health Laboratory, Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska.
³ Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska.
⁴ Department of Infection Control and Epidemiology, Nebraska Medicine, Omaha, Nebraska.
⁵ Nebraska Medicine, Omaha, Nebraska.

Abstract

In September 2021, a cluster of 6 patients with nosocomial coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were identified in a transplant unit. A visitor and 11 healthcare workers also tested positive for severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Genomic sequencing identified 3 separate introductions of SARS-CoV-2 with related transmission among the identified patients and healthcare workers.

MeSH terms

COVID-19* / epidemiology
COVID-19* / prevention & control
Cross Infection* / epidemiology
Cross Infection* / prevention & control
Disease Outbreaks
Genomics
Health Personnel
Humans
Immunocompromised Host
Organ Transplantation*
SARS-CoV-2 / genetics
Virus Diseases*

Supplementary concepts

SARS-CoV-2 variants