COVID-19 Serology Screening and Strict Protocol in the Endoscopy Unit

The novel COronaVIrus Disease 19 (COVID-19) outbreak has impacted daily activities in nearly 210 countries and territories worldwide. In Ecuador, the city of Guayaquil has nearly two-thirds of the COVID-positive patients in the country and nearly 40% of infected individuals are health-care related personnel. Nonemergent, emergent and urgent endoscopic procedures are necessary to be performed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Several experiences in the management of the endoscopic unit during the pandemic has been proposed. We aimed to prospectively evaluate a strict protocol for preventing potential nosocomial infection of COVID-19.