Health care workers are at high risk for contracting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) However, little is known about the risk of transmission between coworkers The objective of this study was to determine the risk of transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) between coworkers in a surgical environment This was an observational study of 394 health care workers in a surgical environment who were exposed to 2 known SARS-CoV-2–positive coworkers Standard infection precautions were in place at the time of the exposure All 394 exposed workers initially underwent nasopharyngeal swab testing for SARS-CoV-2 using the polymerase chain reaction technique Of the original group, 387 were tested again with the same technique 1 week later Of 394 SARS-CoV-2–exposed health care workers initially tested, 1 was positive No new positive cases were found on repeated testing of 387 participants 1 week later The risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in a health care unit with universal masking and appropriate hand hygiene is low This should provide some reassurance to surgical practices as they reopen
Risk of SARS-CoV-2 Transmission Among Coworkers in a Surgical Environment