Rates of people contracting SARS-CoV-2 in the hospital were similar to other hospital-acquired infections. But when the number of infections that began in the community was higher, there was an increase of SARS-CoV-2 cases that began in hospitals, too, a new study finds. Authors say that the study shows there’s a need for continuous monitoring and prevention efforts.
A study published on Monday in JAMA Network Open explored the frequency of hospital-onset SARS-CoV-2 infections and what hospital characteristics were linked to the rates of hospital-onset SARS-CoV-2 infections. The team looked at 288 hospitals reporting SARS-CoV-2 data between July 2020 and June 2022. They found that hospital-onset infections happened at rates similar to other infections. Hospital-onset SARS-CoV-2 infections were considered those that happened after the seventh day of being hospitalized.
Among 171,564 people who were in the hospital and tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, 4.4% of the cases were hospital-onset and 3.8% didn’t know when the infection began. In looking at 4,421,268 hospitalization records, researchers found that hospital-onset SARS-CoV-2 infections occurred in 39% of the 5,687 hospital months (or the months recorded for each hospital tracked). Post-admission testing rates and community-onset infection rates increased with admission testing rates.
In testing in at least 25% of the people hospitalized at admission, there was a 10% rise in community-onset virus rates, which was linked to a 178% increase in hospital-onset infection rates. That link showed a need for ongoing surveillance and prevention efforts to lower the virus spreading in hospitals, especially when virus levels are high in the community.
These factors were all associated with the rate of people getting the virus while in the hospital: the variant period, the rate of people tested upon admission, bed size and the geographic area.
Knowing the factors that are linked to SARS-CoV-2 virus starting in the hospital could help healthcare facilities including long-term care communities prevent the spread of infections, the authors wrote.
