Abstract
Background: Healthcare workers are at the forefront of the COVID-19 pandemic and it is essential to monitor the relative infection rate of this group, as compared to workers in other occupations. This study aimed to produce estimates of the relative incidence ratio between healthcare workers and workers in non-healthcare occupations. Methods: Analysis of cross-sectional data from a daily, web-based survey of 1,788,795 Facebook users from September 6, 2020 to October 18, 2020. Participants were Facebook users in the United States aged 18 and above who were tested for COVID-19 because of an employer or school requirement in the past 14 days. The exposure variable was a self-reported history of working in healthcare in the past four weeks and the main outcome was a self-reported positive test for COVID-19. Results: On October 18, 2020, in the United States, there was a relative COVID-19 incidence ratio of 0.7 (95% UI 0.6 to 0.8) between healthcare workers and workers in non-healthcare occupations. Conclusions: Currently in the United States, healthcare workers have a substantially and significantly lower COVID-19 incidence rate than workers in non-healthcare occupations.
Highlights
In August, the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker published a collection of charts showing how healthcare utilization has declined during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States[1], showing that facility discharge volume dropped by over 25% and cancer screening volumes dropped by over 85% from levels in 2019
Our analysis relied on the responses to two lines of questions: (1) questions about recent work history, worded as, “In the past 4 weeks, did you do any kind of work for pay?” and if so, “[p]lease select the occupational group that best fits the main kind of work you were doing in the last four weeks”; and (2) questions about COVID-19 testing history, worded as, “Have you ever been tested for coronavirus (COVID-19)?”, “[h]ave you been tested for coronavirus (COVID-19) in the last 14 days?”, “[d]id this test find that you had coronavirus (COVID-19)”, and “[d]o any of the following reasons describe why you were tested for coronavirus (COVID-19) in the last 14 days? Please select all that apply.”
Power calculation: To determine the sample size necessary to detect a difference of 30% between the COVID-19 prevalence of health care workers (HCWs) and non-HCWs, we developed a small simulation model where the fraction of HCWs in the general population and the COVID-19 prevalence in the general population both match that observed in the survey data
Summary
In August, the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker published a collection of charts showing how healthcare utilization has declined during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States[1], showing that facility discharge volume dropped by over 25% and cancer screening volumes dropped by over 85% from levels in 2019. This decrease is consistent with evidence from other sources[2,3], and could be driven by a perceived risk of interacting with workers at health facilities. Conclusions: Currently in the United States, healthcare workers have a substantially and significantly lower COVID-19 incidence rate than workers in non-healthcare occupations
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
