Healthcare Workers: an in depth virological analysis and behavioural study during the outbreak

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Coronaviruses transmit easily, the disease is highly infectious and can lead to serious illness and death. Healthcare workers becoming ill in large numbers would have a huge impact on health care provision. Bed shortages in over-stretched hospitals are common and the additional burden from coronavirus could bring staff to breaking point. We had a unique opportunity in 2017/8 to investigate healthcare workers at University College London Hospitals (UCLH) infected with influenza compared to those who were well. There is lack of evidence around the risk of coronavirus so we now propose a study that will examine the rates at which healthcare workers become infected with coronavirus in three wards and A/E at UCLH, using the same methods as before. We will also interview healthcare workers to find out their challenges in preventing infection spreading to themselves, other staff and patients, while working during a novel pathogen outbreak. We will use antigen tests to rapidly screen them to see if they are infected with coronavirus, and complement these with antibody tests. This information will add significantly to the understanding of staff health and safety, hospital infection prevention and control, and will improve the evidence-base for the protection of patients and staff.