Investigation of an outbreak of symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 VOC 202012/01-lineage B.1.1.7 infection in healthcare workers, Italy.
Adult
BNT162 Vaccine
COVID-19
/ epidemiology
COVID-19 Vaccines
/ administration & dosage
Disease Outbreaks
Female
Health Personnel
Humans
Immunoglobulin G
/ blood
Intubation, Intratracheal
Italy
/ epidemiology
Male
Middle Aged
Personal Protective Equipment
Phylogeny
SARS-CoV-2
/ genetics
Vaccination
Whole Genome Sequencing
COVID-19
Healthcare workers
Outbreak
SARS-CoV-2 VOC 202012/01-LINEAGE B.1.1.7
Vaccine
Whole-genome sequencing
Journal
Clinical microbiology and infection : the official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
ISSN: 1469-0691
Titre abrégé: Clin Microbiol Infect
Pays: England
ID NLM: 9516420
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
Aug 2021
Aug 2021
Historique:
received:
12
03
2021
revised:
21
04
2021
accepted:
01
05
2021
pubmed:
14
5
2021
medline:
17
8
2021
entrez:
13
5
2021
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
In December 2020, Italy began a national immunization campaign using the BNT162b2 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mRNA vaccine, prioritizing healthcare workers (HCWs). Immune serum from vaccinated subjects seems (largely) to retain titres of neutralizing antibodies, even against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) VOC 202012/01-lineage B.1.1.7. Here, we describe an outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 lineage B.1.1.7 infection in three HCWs in a hospital setting; two of the HCWs were fully vaccinated (i.e. had received two doses). Two physicians and one nurse working on the same shift on 20th February 2021 were involved in the outbreak. Real-time PCR, antigen tests, and serological tests for the IgG anti-spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 were performed, along with whole-genome sequencing (WGS). SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed in all three HCWs; all presented with mild symptoms of COVID-19. The two physicians were fully vaccinated with BNT162b2 vaccine, with the second dose administered 1 month before symptom onset. Both had high titres of IgG anti-spike antibodies at the time of diagnosis. WGS confirmed that all virus strains were VOC 202012/01-lineage B.1.1.7, suggesting a common source of exposure. Epidemiological investigation revealed that the suspected source was a SARS-CoV-2-positive patient who required endotracheal intubation due to severe COVID-19. All procedures were carried out using a full suite of personal protective equipment (PPE). This mini-outbreak highlights some important issues about the efficacy of vaccines against transmission of SARS-CoV-2 variants, the high risk of exposure among HCWs, and the need for optimized implementation of PPE in hospitals. The wide circulation of VOC 202012/01 in Europe and Italy highlights the need to improve surveillance and genetic sequencing.
Identifiants
pubmed: 33984489
pii: S1198-743X(21)00228-7
doi: 10.1016/j.cmi.2021.05.007
pmc: PMC8107058
pii:
doi:
Substances chimiques
COVID-19 Vaccines
0
Immunoglobulin G
0
BNT162 Vaccine
N38TVC63NU
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
1174.e1-1174.e4Informations de copyright
Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
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