COVID-19 among Healthcare Workers: A Prospective Serological-Epidemiological Cohort Study in a Standard Care Hospital in Rural Germany.

Stephanie Hoffmann,Jacob Spallek,Juliane Schiebel,Heinz-Detlef Gremmels,Frank Hufert

doi:10.3390/ijerph182010999

Abstract

Healthcare workers (HCW) play a vital role in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic control. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and the risk of COVID-19 infections in a cohort of HCW from four different risk groups (from intensive care unit to administration) of a hospital of a primary care level in rural Germany. The outcomes were monthly measures of antibody seroprevalence over a period of 6 months. Overall, a seroprevalence of 13.41% was determined, with significantly higher prevalence rates among HCW working in areas with more frequent contact to confirmed or suspected cases (30.30%, p = 0.003). The group specific differences in the risk of infection from COVID-19 were detected, as HCW groups with frequent exposure seemed to have an increased risk (RR = 3.18, p = 0.02; CI95 1.09–9.24). The findings contribute to the epidemiological understanding of the virus spread in an unvaccinated population group, which is highly relevant for the pandemic management.

Highlights

In 2020, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), spread internationally
The aims were to explore the spread of SARS-CoV-2 among this key group in the pandemic management and to estimate the threat of infection in different working areas in a standard care hospital in a rural German region, which is located the federal state of Brandenburg in eastern
As the findings are valid for an unvaccinated population group, they contribute to the epidemiological understanding of the virus spread in Healthcare workers (HCW) in a pandemic situation and are relevant for the pandemic management in order to reduce transmissions of SARS-CoV-2 and to ensure sufficient healthcare and health protection in the current and further pandemics

Summary

Introduction

In 2020, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), spread internationally. As of 31 December 2020, 1,719,737 people in Germany—41,241 of them in the federal state of Brandenburg—were infected with COVID-19 [1]. While COVID-19 incidences were stabilizing up until late August 2020, the number of newly reported cases steeply increased after October 2020 [1]. Healthcare workers (HCWs) were at specific risk for SARS-CoV-2 because they were caring for increasing numbers of people infected with COVID-19 [2,3]. Gaining evidence about the spread of infection among HCWs is essential to develop targeted protection strategies and to ensure adequate healthcare provision during pandemics. To investigate the number of infections among HCWs, serological testing of specific antibodies against

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