Low Proportion of COVID-19 as an Occupational Disease among Tertiary Hospital Employees in Thailand

Abstract

Objective: To examine the proportion of COVID-19 cases classified as an occupational disease and characterize COVID-19 among tertiary hospital employees (HEs) in Thailand. Materials and Methods: The present study was a retrospective descriptive study conducted between April 2021 and January 2022. Secondary data were obtained from electronic health records. In contrast, information on surveillance procedures was obtained from the hospital’s Occupational Health and Safety Management unit. The present study population included 115 HEs. Results: The proportion of COVID-19 cases classified as occupational diseases was 2.6% (3 out of 115). The most common sources of infection were household members at 40.0%, social events at 23.5%, and co-workers at 11.3%. If all healthcare employees were at risk, the estimated prevalence of COVID-19 during that period would be 115 out of 7,280, equivalent to 1.6 per 100 personnel. Among the infected HEs, more than half, or 55.7%, of the study population were frontline HEs. Most cases, or 41.7%, received a single booster vaccine and 76.9% had mild symptoms. None of the severe cases were immunized. Conclusion: The present study revealed a low proportion, at 2.6% of COVID-19 cases among HEs classified as occupational diseases. Their work activities contributed the least of causation. This may be due to effective strategies for hospital worker protection.