High levels of personal protective equipment provided to frontline healthcare workers in China treating patients with COVID-19, prevented the transmission of the infection, a new international study has found.
The study evaluated a cohort of 420 healthcare professionals (HCP’s) who were deployed to Wuhan during the peak of the pandemic in January 2020.
High levels of personal protective equipment provided to frontline healthcare workers in China treating patients with COVID-19, prevented the transmission of the infection, a new international study has found.
Published today in the British Medical Journal, the study, which brings together experts from the University of Birmingham, UK and Sun Yat-sen University and Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China, evaluated a cohort of 420 healthcare professionals (HCP’s) who were deployed to Wuhan from Guangzhou during the peak of the epidemic in January 2020. During the 6-8 week period, the healthcare workers were in close contact with patients who had tested positive for the virus.
Including 116 doctors and 304 nurses, the average age of study participants was 35.8 years and 68.1% (or 286 of 420) were women. The study participants worked 4-6 hour shifts for an average of 5.4 days a week, spending an average of 16.2 hours each week in intensive care units. The participants were equipped with standardised personal protective equipment, including protective suits, masks, gloves, goggles, face shields, and gowns.
For more information please contact Sophie Belcher, Communications Manager, University of Birmingham, on +44 (0)7815607157. Alternatively, contact the Press Office out of hours on +44 (0)7789 921165.
