{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,8]],"date-time":"2025-11-08T23:02:30Z","timestamp":1762642950398,"version":"3.37.3"},"reference-count":26,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","issue":"7","funder":[{"name":"Partnership for Research in Occupational, Transport and Environmental COVID Transmission"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2024,10,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n               <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>An outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) with an attack rate of 55% (22\/40 workers) occurred at a public-facing office in England from August to September 2021. Published evidence regarding outbreaks in office workplaces remains limited.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>\n               <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Aims<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>To describe an investigation of workplace- and worker-related risk factors following an outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 in a public-facing office.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>\n               <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>The COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) Outbreak Investigation to Understand Transmission (COVID-OUT) study undertook an investigation of the outbreak. This included surface sampling, occupational environmental assessment, molecular and serological testing of workers, and detailed questionnaires.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>\n               <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Despite existing COVID-19 control measures, surface sampling conducted during a self-imposed 2-week temporary office closure identified viral contamination (10\/60 samples, 17% positive), particularly in a small, shared security office (6\/9, 67% positive) and on a window handle in one open-plan office. Targeted enhanced cleaning was, therefore, undertaken before the office reopened. Repeat surface sampling after this identified only one positive (2%) sample. Ventilation was deemed adequate using carbon dioxide monitoring (typically \u22641000 ppm). Twelve workers (30%) responded to the COVID-OUT questionnaire, and all had been vaccinated with two doses. One-third of respondents (4\/12) reported direct physical or close contact with members of the public; of these, 75% (3\/4) reported a divider\/screen between themselves and members of the public.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>\n               <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>The results highlight the potential utility of surface sampling to identify SARS-CoV-2 control deficiencies and the importance of evolving, site-specific risk assessments with layered COVID-19 mitigation strategies.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1093\/occmed\/kqad100","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,12,11]],"date-time":"2023-12-11T18:38:09Z","timestamp":1702319889000},"page":"475-485","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["An outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 in a public-facing office in England"],"prefix":"10.1093","volume":"74","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3339-8898","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"G","family":"Nicholls","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Science Division, Health and Safety Executive , Science and Research Centre, Buxton SK17 9JN ,","place":["UK"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"B","family":"Atkinson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research and Evaluation, UK Health Security Agency, Porton Down , Salisbury SP4 0JG ,","place":["UK"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5298-6148","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"K","family":"van Veldhoven","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Non-Communicable Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine , London WC1E 7HT ,","place":["UK"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2203-2658","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"I","family":"Nicholls","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research and Evaluation, UK Health Security Agency, Porton Down , Salisbury SP4 0JG ,","place":["UK"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"M","family":"Coldwell","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Science Division, Health and Safety Executive , Science and Research Centre, Buxton SK17 9JN ,","place":["UK"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"A","family":"Clarke","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Science Division, Health and Safety Executive , Science and Research Centre, Buxton SK17 9JN ,","place":["UK"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"C J","family":"Atchison","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Rapid Investigation Team, Field 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