Reduction of blood culture contamination rates through simplified personal protective equipment in COVID-19 patient care setting

Recent reports have indicated increased blood culture contamination during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, likely due to the strain on healthcare resources and subsequent neglect of infection control measures [1,2]. While personal protective equipment (PPE) is crucial for healthcare workers caring for patients with COVID-19 [3], it may impede adherence to aseptic procedures. Our previous study in Korea, a nation that maintained a low level of COVID-19 cases due to strict quarantine until the end of 2021, resulting in no shortage of medical resources, revealed that blood culture contamination rates in COVID-19 wards were higher compared with other wards.