Spread of Covid-19 in hemodialysis centres; the effects of ventilation and communal transport.

AIMS: Hemodialysis (HD) patients are at increased risk of respiratory infections, due to increased use of communal travel, waiting areas, close proximity to others when dialysing, and contact with healthcare personnel. We wished to determine the major factors associated with transmission of COVID-19 within dialysis centres.

METHODS

We compared the differences in the number of COVID-19 infections in patients and staff in 5 dialysis centres during the 1st COVID-19 pandemic between March and June 2020, and analyzed differences between centres. Isolation policies and infection control practices were identical between centres.

RESULTS

224 (30.3%) patients tested positive for COVID-19, by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, ranging from 4.8% (centre 1 size 55 patients) to 41.5% (centre 5-248 patients) p = 0.007. Communal transport had a significant effect; with 160 of 452 (35.4%) patients using communal testing positive compared to 22.2% of those not using communal transport (X214.5, p < 0.001). Staff sickness varied; 35 of 36 (97.3% centre 5) dialysis staff contracting COVID-19, compared to 60% from centre 4 (189 patients 30 staff) (p < 0.001). Whereas centre 5 had no natural ventilation, and fan assisted ventilation did not meet standards for air changes and air circulation, centre 4 met ventilation standards.

CONCLUSIONS

Although there are many potential risk factors accounting for the increased risk of COVID-19 infection in hemodialysis patients, we found that differences in communal transport for patients and ventilation between centres was a major contributor accounting for the differences in patients testing positive for COVID-19 and staff sickness rates. This has important practical applications for designing kidney dialysis centres.