Evaluation of cycle threshold to assist with safe return to work for healthcare workers with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in critical staffing shortages in healthcare facilities due to many ill healthcare workers (HCWs), and this has been particularly evident with the emergence of the severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) ο (omicron) vari...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Infection control and hospital epidemiology 2023-04, Vol.44 (4), p.681-682
Main Authors: Selby, Laura M., Hewlett, Angela, Wood, Macy G., Starlin, Richard
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Asymptomatic
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
COVID-19 vaccines
Disease transmission
Employees
Health care
Health Personnel
Humans
Influenza
Labor shortages
Literature reviews
Medical personnel
Nosocomial infection
Occupational health
Outbreaks
Pandemics
Research Brief
Return to Work
SARS-CoV-2
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Workforce planning
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Summary:The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in critical staffing shortages in healthcare facilities due to many ill healthcare workers (HCWs), and this has been particularly evident with the emergence of the severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) ο (omicron) variant in late 2021.1,2 In response to an escalating critical staffing deficiency, the University of Nebraska Medical Center instituted a return-to-work testing program through the employee health department to evaluate cycle threshold (Ct) values in HCWs in critical hospital roles. The detection of COVID-19 via RT-PCR does not necessarily equate to infectiousness; patients can have positive PCR tests in the absence of culturable virus.3 Although currently available SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR testing is not a true quantitative measure, published literature has demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 can most consistently be grown in viral culture when the Ct is
ISSN:0899-823X
1559-6834
DOI:10.1017/ice.2022.252