Diagnosis of COVID-19 Based on Symptomatic Analysis of Hospital Healthcare Workers in Belgium Observational Study in a Large Belgian Tertiary Care Center during Early COVID-19 Outbreak

Abstract

Objective: To identify early symptoms allowing rapid appraisal of infection with SARS-CoV-2 among healthcare workers of a large Belgian hospital. Methods: Healthcare workers with mild symptoms of an acute respiratory tract infection were systematically screened on clinical characteristics of corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19). A nasopharyngeal swab was taken and analyzed by real-Time Reverse-Transcription-Polymerase-Chain-Reaction (rRT-PCR). Results: Fifty percent of 373 workers tested COVID-19 positive. The symptoms cough (82%), headache (78%), myalgia (70%), loss of smell or taste (40%), and fever more than or equal to 37.5 8C (76%) were significantly higher among those infected. Conclusion: Where each individual symptom contributes to the clinical evaluation of possible infection, it is the combination of COVID-19 symptoms that could allow for a rapid diagnostic appraisal of the disease in a high prevalence setting. Early transmission control is important at the onset of an epidemic.