prevalence of covid-19 and following personal protective protocols among liver transplant candidates and recipients and their family members

Introduction: person-to-person transmission of covid-19 disease is reported to be the main route of transmission among the population putting organ transplant candidates and recipients at a high risk of morbidity and mortality. the present study aimed to assess the frequency of following covid-19 personal protective protocols among liver transplant candidates and recipients.methods: in this cross-sectional study, 170 liver transplant candidates and recipients, as well as their family members (n=348), at guilan transplant center in rasht, iran, were selected via convenience sampling method. the participants’ clinical and demographical data, as well as history of covid-19 infection and adherence to personal protective protocols (mask usage, glove usage, and social and physical distancing), were recorded. data analysis was performed using spss software (version 22).results: out of 170 participants, 84 (49.4%) cases were liver transplant candidates, and 86 (51.6%) subjects were liver transplant recipients. the mean age of liver transplant candidates was 50.24±12.83 years, while the mean age of liver transplant recipients was 42.97±16.56 years. the frequency of covid-19 infection among liver transplant candidates, liver transplant recipients, family members of liver transplant candidates, and family members of liver transplant recipients were 3(3.6%), 5(5.8%), 4(2.4%), and 2(1.1%), respectively. patients and their family members’ adherence to personal protective protocols was above 90%.conclusion: the obtained results pointed to the low frequency of sars-cov-2 infection among liver transplant candidates and recipients. the findings highlighted the considerable impact of following personal protective protocols on the prevention of covid-19.