Infection prevention and control (IPC) measures put
in place during the first phases of the COVID-19
pandemic were effective in reducing endoscopyrelated transmission while allowing recovery of
activity.
In late 2020 a novel, more infectious, SARSCoV-2 variant (VOC 202012/01) was associated
with a second ’surge' or acceleration phase in the
UK. We sought to measure whether pre-existing
IPC guidance would be sufficient to prevent transmission in this scenario. Prospective data were
collected from eight UK centres for n=2440 procedures. Pre-endoscopy, nine (0.37%) asymptomatic
patients were positive for SARS-CoV-2 by nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) testing and their procedures
deferred. Post endoscopy, 30 (1.27%) developed
symptoms suspicious for COVID-19, with 15
(0.65%) testing positive on NPS. Three (0.12%)
cases were attributed to potential transmission from
endoscopy attendance. All 15 patients recovered
fully requiring only community treatment.
Although we report cases potentially transmitted
by endoscopy attendance in this latest study, the
risk of COVID-19 transmission following outpatient endoscopy remains very low. Thus, IPC
measures developed in earlier pandemic phases
appear robust, but our data emphasise the need for
vigilance and strict adherence to these measures in
order to optimally protect both patients and staff.