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Article

Single-Facility Analysis of COVID-19 Status of Healthcare Employees during the Eighth and Ninth Pandemic Waves in Japan after Introducing Regular Rapid Antigen Testing

1
Department of Infection Control, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, 1-26-1, Kyonan-cho, Musashino 180-8610, Tokyo, Japan
2
Department of Pediatrics, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, 1-26-1, Kyonan-cho, Musashino 180-8610, Tokyo, Japan
3
Department of Pharmacy, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, 1-26-1, Kyonan-cho, Musashino 180-8610, Tokyo, Japan
4
Department of Laboratory, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, 1-26-1, Kyonan-cho, Musashino 180-8610, Tokyo, Japan
5
Department of Nursery, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, 1-26-1, Kyonan-cho, Musashino 180-8610, Tokyo, Japan
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Vaccines 2024, 12(6), 645; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12060645
Submission received: 8 May 2024 / Revised: 31 May 2024 / Accepted: 6 June 2024 / Published: 9 June 2024

Abstract

Background: Community infections of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have increased rapidly since the emergence of the Omicron strain. During the eighth and ninth pandemic waves—when movement restrictions in the community were eased—the all-case registration system was changed, and the actual status of infection became uncertain. Methods: We conducted regular rapid antigen tests (R-RATs) once or twice a week as self-testing to examine the actual state of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) diagnosis among healthcare employees. Results: Overall, 320 (1.42/day) and 299 (1.76/day) employees were infected in the eighth and ninth pandemic waves. During both periods, 59/263 doctors (22.4%), 335/806 nurses (41.6%), 92/194 administrative employees (47.4%), and 129/218 clinical laboratory technicians (59.2%) were infected. In the eighth wave, 56 of 195 employees were infected through close contact; in the ninth wave, 26 of 62 employees were infected. No significant difference was observed in the number of vaccinations between infected and non-infected employees. The positivity rate of R-RATs was 0.41% and 0.45% in the eighth and ninth waves. R-RATs detected infection in 212 and 229 employees during the eighth and ninth waves, respectively; the ratio of R-RAT-detected positive employees to those who reported infection was significantly higher during the ninth wave (odds ratio: 1.67, 95% confidence interval: 1.17–2.37, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The number of infected healthcare employees remained high during the eighth and ninth pandemic waves in Japan. The R-RAT is considered effective for detecting mild or asymptomatic COVID-19 at an early stage and at a high rate in healthcare employees.
Keywords: COVID-19; Omicron strain; rapid antigen test; healthcare employee; notification system COVID-19; Omicron strain; rapid antigen test; healthcare employee; notification system

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MDPI and ACS Style

Nagasawa, M.; Kato, T.; Sakaguchi, H.; Tanaka, I.; Watanabe, M.; Hiroshima, Y.; Sakurai, M. Single-Facility Analysis of COVID-19 Status of Healthcare Employees during the Eighth and Ninth Pandemic Waves in Japan after Introducing Regular Rapid Antigen Testing. Vaccines 2024, 12, 645. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12060645

AMA Style

Nagasawa M, Kato T, Sakaguchi H, Tanaka I, Watanabe M, Hiroshima Y, Sakurai M. Single-Facility Analysis of COVID-19 Status of Healthcare Employees during the Eighth and Ninth Pandemic Waves in Japan after Introducing Regular Rapid Antigen Testing. Vaccines. 2024; 12(6):645. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12060645

Chicago/Turabian Style

Nagasawa, Masayuki, Tomoyuki Kato, Hayato Sakaguchi, Ippei Tanaka, Mami Watanabe, Yoko Hiroshima, and Mie Sakurai. 2024. "Single-Facility Analysis of COVID-19 Status of Healthcare Employees during the Eighth and Ninth Pandemic Waves in Japan after Introducing Regular Rapid Antigen Testing" Vaccines 12, no. 6: 645. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12060645

APA Style

Nagasawa, M., Kato, T., Sakaguchi, H., Tanaka, I., Watanabe, M., Hiroshima, Y., & Sakurai, M. (2024). Single-Facility Analysis of COVID-19 Status of Healthcare Employees during the Eighth and Ninth Pandemic Waves in Japan after Introducing Regular Rapid Antigen Testing. Vaccines, 12(6), 645. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12060645

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