Last updated on January 4th, 2022 at 03:39 pm
In today’s update:
- Reporting cases of COVID-19 in vaccinated patients to Public Health England (PHE)
Reporting cases of COVID-19 in vaccinated patients to Public Health England (PHE)
The following groups of hospitalised patients who test positive for SARS-CoV-2 by PCR within the 7 preceding days must be reported to PHE by the clinicians caring for the patients:
- Patients with COVID symptoms who are SARS-CoV-2 PCR positive with symptom onset date at least 7 days after their second dose of vaccine.
- Patients with no COVID symptoms who are SARS-CoV-2 PCR positive where the positive PCR test is least 7 days after their second dose of vaccine.
In order that optimum samples are received, reporting is only requested if the case tested positive within the preceding 7 days. This passive reporting is an opportunity to collect acute samples and clinicians are not required to report retrospective cases or cases identified in patients who are not admitted to hospital.
Note that positive lateral flow tests should only be reported if confirmed by PCR.
Reporting can be done via the PHE online form.
In addition, the E59 form should be printed, completed and sent to the Whiston Microbiology laboratory with a serum sample (brown top tube) from the patient within 7 days of the positive PCR test. Note: this test does not need to be requested on Medway. The laboratory will store PCR positive swabs for a period of 7 days from receipt of the swabs. When an E59 form is received with the serum sample, the laboratory will match these with the positive swab and send away to the reference laboratory for further analysis.
If it has not been possible to obtain serum for any reason, please complete the notification using the online form and still send the completed E59 form to the laboratory so that the positive swab can be sent for analysis.
A second serum sample should be submitted 28 days after the first sample set. If the patient is likely to have been discharged within 28 days, please indicate this on the online reporting form and PHE can arrange for a phlebotomist to take the 28 day serum sample at the patient’s home. A kit will be sent beforehand to the patient’s home containing the appropriate sample materials.
Further information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-enhanced-surveillance-of-cases-in-vaccinated-individuals/reporting-to-the-enhanced-surveillance-of-covid-19-cases-in-vaccinated-individuals