Characteristics Of Healthcare Workers Research Articles

Characteristics of healthcare workers with COVID-19: A retrospective descriptive study in a quaternary care center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to describe the epidemiological and clinical presentation of Healthcare Workers (HCWs) affected by COVID-19. MethodsA cross-sectional retrospective study was conducted at King Saud Medical City (KSMC), Saudi Arabia (KSA). All KSMC employees who acquired COVID-19 between March 22nd to July 15th, 2020 have been included. Their data has been anonymously analyzed. FindingsDuring the study period, among the 12000 HCWs working at KSMC, 9.75% tested positive for COVID-19. The source of HCWs infections was mainly community acquired (85%) which included incidences of transmission in hospital dormitories. Transmission among coworkers was the main source of hospital acquired incidences. Direct patient care was reported in 99.8% of study subjects among the high-risk areas, compared to 3.4% in low-risk areas (p-value <0.001), 12-h shifts were more common in the medium and high-risk areas, and at least one symptom was reported by 93.1% of HCWs in high-risk areas compared to 81.6% in low-risk areas (p-value <0.001). ConclusionIn KSA, for HCWs, reducing lapses in compliance with masking in non-patient care areas should be considered. In KSA the role that hospital dormitories play in the community transmission of COVID-19 among HCWs need further studies.

Exploring the Spatiotemporal Characteristics of COVID-19 Infections among Healthcare Workers: A Multi-Scale Perspective

The outbreak of COVID-19 has constantly exposed health care workers (HCWs) around the world to a high risk of infection. To more accurately discover the infection differences among high-risk occupations and institutions, Hubei Province was taken as an example to explore the spatiotemporal characteristics of HCWs at different scales by employing the chi-square test and fitting distribution. The results indicate (1) the units around the epicenter of the epidemic present lognormal distribution, and the periphery is Poisson distribution. There is a clear dividing line between lognormal and Poisson distribution in terms of the number of HCWs infections. (2) The infection rates of different types of HCWs at multiple geospatial scales are significantly different, caused by the spatial heterogeneity of the number of HCWs. (3) With the increase of HCWs infection rate, the infection difference among various HCWs also gradually increases and the infection difference becomes more evident on a larger scale. The analysis of the multi-scale infection rate and statistical distribution characteristics of HCWs can help government departments rationally allocate the number of HCWs and personal protective equipment to achieve distribution on demand, thereby reducing the mental and physical pressure and infection rate of HCWs.

Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and reduced risk of reinfection through 6 months: a Danish observational cohort study of 44 000 healthcare workers

ObjectivesAntibodies to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) are a key factor in protecting against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We examined longitudinal changes in seroprevalence in healthcare workers (HCWs) in Copenhagen and the protective effect of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. MethodsIn this prospective study, screening for antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 (ELISA) was offered to HCWs three times over 6 months. HCW characteristics were obtained by questionnaires. The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04346186. ResultsFrom April to October 2020 we screened 44 698 HCWs, of whom 2811 were seropositive at least once. The seroprevalence increased from 4.0% (1501/37 452) to 7.4% (2022/27 457) during the period (p < 0.001) and was significantly higher than in non-HCWs. Frontline HCWs had a significantly increased risk of seropositivity compared to non-frontline HCWs, with risk ratios (RRs) at the three rounds of 1.49 (95%CI 1.34–1.65, p < 0.001), 1.52 (1.39–1.68, p < 0.001) and 1.50 (1.38–1.64, p < 0.001). The seroprevalence was 1.42- to 2.25-fold higher (p < 0.001) in HCWs from dedicated COVID-19 wards than in other frontline HCWs. Seropositive HCWs had an RR of 0.35 (0.15–0.85, p 0.012) of reinfection during the following 6 months, and 2115 out of 2248 (95%) of those who were seropositive during rounds one or two remained seropositive after 4–6 months. The 133 of 2248 participants (5.0%) who seroreverted were slightly older and reported fewer symptoms than other seropositive participants. ConclusionsHCWs remained at increased risk of infection with SARS-CoV-2 during the 6-month period. Seropositivity against SARS-CoV-2 persisted for at least 6 months in the vast majority of HCWs and was associated with a significantly lower risk of reinfection.

Analysis of COVID-19 in Professionals Working in Geriatric Environment: Multicenter Prospective Study.

Healthcare workers (HCWs) are exposed to a higher risk of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) contamination. This prospective multicenter study describes the characteristics of HCWs tested for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) while working in a geriatric environment. We also compared HCWs with a positive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RTPCR) assay (RTPCR+ group) and those with a negative test result (RTPCR− group). Between 15/5/2020 and 15/9/2020, 258 HCWs, employed in the acute geriatric unit (AGU), geriatric rehabilitation unit (GRU) or nursing home of three hospitals in Burgundy (France) were invited to complete an online survey. Among the 171 respondents, 83 participants, with mean age 42 years and 87.9% female, were tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Among these 83 participants, COVID-19 was confirmed in 38 cases (RTPCR+ group) of which 36 were symptomatic, and the RTPCR assay was negative in 45 cases (RTPCR− group) of which 20 participants were symptomatic. A total of 22.9% (of 83) had comorbidities, 21.7% were active smokers, and 65.1% had received the flu vaccine. A total of 37.3% worked in AGU, 19.3% in GRU and 16.9% in nursing homes. The most common symptom described was headache (23.2%), followed by fatigue or cough (12.5% each), and fever or myalgia (10.7% each). There were more participants with normal body mass index (p = 0.03) in the RTPCR+ group. In contrast, there were more users of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (p = 0.01), active smokers (p = 0.03) and flu vaccinated (p = 0.01) in the RTPCR− group. No difference was found between the two groups for the type of work (p = 0.20 for physicians and p = 0.18 for nurses). However, acquiring COVID-19 was significantly associated with working in AGU (p < 0.001) and nursing homes (p = 0.001). There were significantly more users of surgical masks (p = 0.035) in the RTPCR+ group and more filtering facepiece-2 mask users (p = 0.016) in the RTPCR− group. Our results reflect the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic in France. Further studies are needed to evaluate and track the risks and consequences of COVID-19 in HCWs.

Nasopharyngeal Testing among Healthcare Workers (HCWs) of a Large University Hospital in Milan, Italy during Two Epidemic Waves of COVID-19.

Background: since October 2020, a second SARS-CoV-2 epidemic wave has hit Italy. We investigate the frequency of positive nasopharyngeal swabs among HCWs during the two waves and the association with occupation and demographic characteristics. Methods: this is a retrospective, observational study conducted in a large university hospital in Milan, Northern Italy. We defined two epidemic waves: 1st (February 2020–July 2020) and 2nd (August 2020–January 2021). Occupational and demographic characteristics of HCWs who underwent nasopharyngeal swabs for SARS-CoV-2 were collected. Results: in the 1st wave, 242 positive subjects (7.2%) were found among 3378 HCWs, whereas in the 2nd wave, the positive subjects were 545 out of 4465 (12.2%). In both epidemic waves positive NPSs were more frequent among HCWs with health-related tasks and lower among students (p < 0.001). However, in the 2nd wave, workers engaged in non-health-related tasks had a peak of 20.7% positivity. Among 160 positive HCWs in the 1st wave who were tested again in the 2nd wave, the rate of reinfection based on SARS-CoV2 RNA cycle quantification value was 0.6%. Conclusions: during the 2nd epidemic wave, we confirmed a significant impact of COVID-19 among HCWs. The rise of infection rate among HCWs seems to reflect the increasing spread of SARS-CoV-2 among the overall population.

Incidence and epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 among health care workers in Saudi Arabia: A retrospective cohort study

IntroductionNovel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is a highly infectious serious acute respiratory syndrome that has emerged in Wuhan, China, and has spread rapidly throughout the world including Saudi Arabia. An important source of infection of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is healthcare-associated infection (HAI). Healthcare workers (HCWs) have a greater risk of acquiring COVID-19 infection than the general population. Globally, thousands of HCWs have lost their lives due to COVID-19 infection. AimIdentify Incidence Rate and epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 infection among health workers in Saudi Arabia. MethodologyA retrospective cohort study carried from March to November 2020. HCWs selected by a Complete Enumeration Survey method. Data analyzed in frequencies and percentage tables. To test the differences, post hoc after chi-square-(χ2) tests were used. ResultsAs of November 30, 2020, a total of 57,159 HCWs tested positive with COVID-19. Their median age was 34 years, and 53% were male. Nurses were the most infected HCWs category (36%). The most common source of infection was from the community (78%). The majority of HCWs who acquired the infection from healthcare facilities got the infection from another HCW (63%). There was a significant difference between community and healthcare-acquired COVID-19 in relation to gender (P < 0.001) nationality (P < 0.001) job categories (P < 0.001) three age groups (<26: P = 0.012, 26–35 and 36–45: P < 0.001), and among HCWs who worked in MOH and private healthcare facilities (P < 0.001). The total number of reported deaths among HCWs during the study period was 198, with a case fatality rate of (0.35%). ConclusionThis study findings show that infected HCWs characteristics were similar to the previous studies and indicate incidence rates of 10% among COVID-19 infected HCWs in Saudi Arabia. Analysis of the infection status of HCWs is critical, to understand their needs and challenges, improve protective measures, and provide effective recommendations for policymakers.

Frustration With Technology and its Relation to Emotional Exhaustion Among Health Care Workers: Cross-sectional Observational Study.

BackgroundNew technology adoption is common in health care, but it may elicit frustration if end users are not sufficiently considered in their design or trained in their use. These frustrations may contribute to burnout.ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate and quantify health care workers’ frustration with technology and its relationship with emotional exhaustion, after controlling for measures of work-life integration that may indicate excessive job demands.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional, observational study of health care workers across 31 Michigan hospitals. We used the Safety, Communication, Operational Reliability, and Engagement (SCORE) survey to measure work-life integration and emotional exhaustion among the survey respondents. We used mixed-effects hierarchical linear regression to evaluate the relationship among frustration with technology, other components of work-life integration, and emotional exhaustion, with adjustment for unit and health care worker characteristics.ResultsOf 15,505 respondents, 5065 (32.7%) reported that they experienced frustration with technology on at least 3-5 days per week. Frustration with technology was associated with higher scores for the composite Emotional Exhaustion scale (r=0.35, P<.001) and each individual item on the Emotional Exhaustion scale (r=0.29-0.36, P<.001 for all). Each 10-point increase in the frustration with technology score was associated with a 1.2-point increase (95% CI 1.1-1.4) in emotional exhaustion (both measured on 100-point scales), after adjustment for other work-life integration items and unit and health care worker characteristics.ConclusionsThis study found that frustration with technology and several other markers of work-life integration are independently associated with emotional exhaustion among health care workers. Frustration with technology is common but not ubiquitous among health care workers, and it is one of several work-life integration factors associated with emotional exhaustion. Minimizing frustration with health care technology may be an effective approach in reducing burnout among health care workers.

The perceived social stigma, self-esteem, and its determinants among the health care professionals working in India during COVID 19 pandemic

BackgroundHealth conditions perceived as contagious, dangerous, or incurable are associated with some facets of social stigma. MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted from May 9, 2020 to June 9, 2020, among frontline healthcare workers (HCWs) in India to understand their perceived stigmatizing experiences (SE) and self-esteem during the COVID-19 pandemic. Google forms, an online forms tool, was used to create the survey, and samples were recruited through snowball sampling. Data comprised baseline characteristics of HCWs and their responses to the modified version of the Inventory of Stigmatizing Experiences and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. ResultsOf the 600 participants (mean age: 30.9 ± 6.7 years), 76% comprised of nurses. Most participants were residing in urban areas and working in government sectors in clinical areas. Approximately 66.3% HCWs had at least 1 SE, and 51.7% reported a high impact of stigma (SI) across their various life domains, viz. quality of life, social contacts, self-esteem, and family relations, but 73% had normal self-esteem. The SI was more at the family level than at the individual level. The prevalence of SE (69.5% vs. 56.6%) and psychosocial SI (54.5% vs. 44.1%) was higher among nurses than among doctors. Being a nurse and working in clinical areas were statistically significant (P < 0.05 and < 0.01, respectively) for predicting SE likelihood. ConclusionAlthough HCWs have their own apprehensions, they do have high self-esteem and continue to deliver professional duties despite their SE. The government should frame guidelines to stop such discrimination and hail the saviors.

The Significance of Duration of Exposure and Circulation of Fresh Air in SARS-CoV-2 Transmission Among Healthcare Workers.

Background: The true risk of infection after exposure to SARS-CoV-2 of healthcare workers (HCWs) in the workplace has not yet been established. This descriptive study analyzes the exposure characteristics of HCWs to SARS-CoV-2.Methods: In March 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, a total of 58 HCWs in a regional hospital in Greece were exposed to three patients with symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection. These three index cases had taken part in an 8-day religious tour, during which 52 travelers spent 10 h every day in a tour bus. A study was made of the circumstances of the hospital exposure.Results: Of the 52 travelers in the bus, 48 contracted SARS-CoV2. None of the 58 HCW contacts developed symptoms related to COVID-19, although, 43% were exposed to a SARS-CoV-2 infected patient for more than 15 min, and 74% were within a distance of <1 m, and half of the contacts were not wearing a surgical mask. Additional information was that 63% of the contacts were exposed in a room sized more than 15 m2, and in more than 80% of cases, the window or the door to the room was open during their exposure. In about one-third of the exposure events, the HCW contacts were not wearing a mask and were at a distance of <1 m, and just under half of them were exposed for more than 15 min. One-fourth of the contacts underwent RT-PCR testing, and 11% IgG/IgM antibody testing for SARS-CoV-2, all of which were negative. All observed quarantine at home for 14 days.Conclusion: This observational study was made before the extent of the SARS-CoV-2 became apparent, and before routine preventive measures were observed by all HCWs. Comparing the conditions of exposure in the two different settings (bus vs. regional health facility), it is apparent that the duration of exposure and the small, enclosed nature of the bus are the distinguishing factors. In the healthcare setting, the elimination of both factors and the implementation of additional measures protected the exposed HCWs from contracting SARS-CoV-2 infection.

SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Healthcare Professionals and General Population During "First Wave" of COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study Conducted in Sicily, Italy.

On December 31, 2019, an outbreak of lower respiratory infections was documented in Wuhan caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Since the beginning, SARS-CoV-2 has caused many infections among healthcare workers (HCWs) worldwide. Aims of this study were: a. to compare the distribution among the HCWs and the general population of SARS-CoV-2 infections in Western Sicily and Italy; b. to describe the characteristics of HCWs infected with SARS-CoV-2 in the western Sicilian healthcare context during the first wave of the epidemic diffusion in Italy. Incidence and mean age of HCWs infected with SARS-CoV-2 were comparable in Western Sicily and in the whole Italian country. The 97.6% of infections occurred in HCWs operating in non-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) working environments, while an equal distribution of cases between hospital and primary care services context was documented. Nurses and healthcare assistants, followed by physicians, were the categories more frequently infected by SARS-CoV-2. The present study suggests that healthcare workers are easily infected compared to the general population but that often infection could equally occur in hospital and non-hospital settings. Safety of HCWs in counteracting the COVID-19 pandemic must be strengthened in hospital [adequate provision of personal protective equipment (PPE), optimization of human resources, implementation of closed and independent groups of HCWs, creation of traffic control building and dedicated areas in every healthcare context] and non-hospital settings (influenza vaccination, adequate psychophysical support, including refreshments during working shifts, adequate rest, and family support).

High post-exposure prophylaxis uptake but low completion rates and HIV testing follow-up in health workers, Harare, Zimbabwe.

Introduction:Health care workers (HCWs), especially from sub-Saharan Africa, are at risk of occupational exposure to HIV. Post exposure prophylaxis (PEP) can reduce this risk. There is no published information from Zimbabwe, a high HIV burden country, about how PEP works. We therefore assessed how the PEP programme performed at the Parirenyatwa Hospital, Harare, Zimbabwe, from 2017–2018.Methodology:This was a cohort study using secondary data from the staff clinic paper-based register. The chi square test and relative risks were used to assess associations.Results:There were 154 HCWs who experienced occupational injuries. The commonest group was medical doctors (36%) and needle sticks were the most frequent type of occupational injury (74%). The exposure source was identified in 114(74%) occupational injuries: 91% of source patients were HIV-tested and 77% were HIV-positive. All but two HCWs were HIV-tested, 148 were eligible for PEP and 142 (96%) started triple therapy, all within 48 hours of exposure. Of those starting PEP, 15 (11%) completed 28 days, 13 (9%) completed < 28 days and in the remainder PEP duration was not recorded. There were no HCW characteristics associated with not completing PEP. Of those starting PEP, 9 (6%) were HIV-tested at 6-weeks, 3 (2%) were HIV-tested at 3-months and 1 (< 1%) was HIV-tested at 6-months: all HIV-tests were negative.Conclusions:While uptake of PEP was timely and high, the majority of HCWs failed to complete the 28-day treatment course and even fewer attended for follow-up HIV-tests. Various changes are recommended to promote awareness of PEP and improve adherence to guidelines.

Implementation of a COVID-19 surveillance programme for healthcare workers in a teaching hospital in an upper-middle-income country.

IntroductionThe reporting of Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19) mortality among healthcare workers highlights their vulnerability in managing the COVID-19 pandemic. Some low- and middle-income countries have highlighted the challenges with COVID-19 testing, such as inadequate capacity, untrained laboratory personnel, and inadequate funding. This article describes the components and implementation of a healthcare worker surveillance programme in a designated COVID-19 teaching hospital in Malaysia. In addition, the distribution and characteristics of healthcare workers placed under surveillance are described.Material and methodsA COVID-19 healthcare worker surveillance programme was implemented in University Malaya Medical Centre. The programme involved four teams: contact tracing, risk assessment, surveillance and outbreak investigation. Daily symptom surveillance was conducted over fourteen days for healthcare workers who were assessed to have low-, moderate- and high-risk of contracting COVID-19. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted for data collected over 24 weeks, from the 6th of March 2020 to the 20th of August 2020.ResultsA total of 1,174 healthcare workers were placed under surveillance. The majority were females (71.6%), aged between 25 and 34 years old (64.7%), were nursing staff (46.9%) and had no comorbidities (88.8%). A total of 70.9% were categorised as low-risk, 25.7% were moderate-risk, and 3.4% were at high risk of contracting COVID-19. One-third (35.2%) were symptomatic, with the sore throat (23.6%), cough (19.8%) and fever (5.0%) being the most commonly reported symptoms. A total of 17 healthcare workers tested positive for COVID-19, with a prevalence of 0.3% among all the healthcare workers. Risk category and presence of symptoms were associated with a positive COVID-19 test (p<0.001). Fever (p<0.001), cough (p = 0.003), shortness of breath (p = 0.015) and sore throat (p = 0.002) were associated with case positivity.ConclusionCOVID-19 symptom surveillance and risk-based assessment have merits to be included in a healthcare worker surveillance programme to safeguard the health of the workforce.

Clinical characteristics of health care workers infected with COVID-19 at the Single-Center Hospital in Turkey

Objectives: COVID-19 is a highly infectious disease characterized by different symptoms and varying severity from person to person. This study aims to identify the clinical characteristics of healthcare workers (HCWs) who have been infected with coronavirus and investigate which factors affect the disease’s severity. Materials and methods: In the presented study, 79 healthcare workers (HCWs) were recruited who had been infected with SARS-CoV-2, and working in a training and research hospital. Their data was examined in two groups as uncomplicated (without a computed tomography sign of pneumonia and respiratory rate &lt; 24 per minute, SpO2 &gt; 93% at room air) and pneumonia group in terms of the severity of the disease. The statistical analysis was performed by SPSS v.22.0 with a statistical significance of 0.05. Results: A total of 79 HCWs with a mean age of 33.37 ± 8.44 years were enrolled in the study. They consisted of 47 female and 32 male participants. There were 50 patients in uncomplicated and 29 patients in the pneumonia group. A total of 14 HCWs have been hospitalized with an average stay of 5.43 ± 1,5 days. The number of hospitalization between the groups was higher in the pneumonia group (n: 11) than in the uncomplicated group (n: 3) (38% vs. 6%; p &lt; 0.001). HCWs who work in areas in close contact with the patient (high-risk units) were more prone to be in the pneumonia group than those working in the other areas of the hospital [22/45 (48%) vs. 7/27 (25%); p = 0.019]. There wasn’t any significant difference between the groups in terms of age, gender, occupation, and the presence of chronic illness of workers (p &gt; 0.05). Sore throat and cough were the most common onset symptoms of the disease (34.2% and 31.6%, respectively). There was no difference between the groups in terms of biochemical parameters. (p &gt; 0.05). Conclusion: Healthcare workers are in the risk group for COVID-19 disease. HCWs working in high-risk units are more vulnerable.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices on Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis Infection Control in Nepal: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) transmission is an important problem, particularly in low-income settings. This study is aimed at assessing the knowledge, attitude, and practices of DR-TB infection control among the healthcare workers under the National Tuberculosis Control Program in Nepal. In this cross-sectional study, we studied the healthcare workers from all the 11 functioning DR-TB treatment centers across Nepal in March 2018. Through face-to-face interviews, trained data collectors collected data on the characteristics of healthcare workers, their self-reported knowledge, attitude, and practice on DR-TB infection control. We entered the data in Microsoft Excel and analyzed in the R statistical software. We assigned a score of one to the correct response and zero to the incorrect or no response and calculated a composite score in each of the knowledge, attitude, and practice domains. We ascertained the healthcare workers as having good knowledge, appropriate attitude, and optimal practices when the composite score was ≥50%. We summarized the numerical variables with median (interquartile range (IQR)) and the categorical variables with proportions. We ran appropriate correlation tests to identify relationships between knowledge, attitude, and practice scores. We regarded a p value of <0.05 as significant. A total of 95 out of 102 healthcare workers responded. There were 46 male respondents. The median age was 33 years (IQR 26-42). Most of them (53, 55.79%) were midlevel paramedics. We found 91 (95.79%) respondents had good knowledge, 49 (51.58%) had an appropriate attitude, and 35 (36.84%) had optimal practices on DR-TB infection control. We found a statistically significant positive correlation between attitude and practice scores (ρ = 0.37, p ≤ 0.001). The healthcare workers at the DR-TB treatment centers in Nepal have good knowledge of DR-TB infection control, but it did not translate into an appropriate attitude or optimal practices.

Total Number and Characteristics of Health Care Workers in an Emergency Department with COVID-19 during a six-month period encompassing the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak in Gauteng, South Africa

Total Number and Characteristics of Health Care Workers in an Emergency Department with COVID-19 during a six-month period encompassing the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak in Gauteng, South Africa

Hepatitis B Virus Knowledge and Vaccination Status among Health-care Workers in Calabar, Nigeria

Background and Objectives: The World Health Organization estimates that 2 million health-care workers (HCWs) are at risk of occupational exposure to hepatitis B virus (HBV), with the majority (90%) of such infections arising in sub-Saharan Africa. This study aimed to determine HBV knowledge and vaccination uptake among HCWs. Materials and Method: This was a cross sectional analytical study conducted among 392 HCWs from two major health institutions in Calabar i.e. the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) and the General Hospital Calabar (GHC), Cross river State. Multi-staged sampling method comprising of two stages was used to recruit participants into the study. The study population comprised of doctors, nurses, laboratory scientists/technologist, and other categories of HCWs such as pharmacists, ward orderlies, and mortuary attendants. A semi-structured self-administered questionnaire was used to obtain data on the socio-demographic characteristics of HCWs, the knowledge of HCWs regarding HBV and vaccine. The analysis of data was done using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20. Study Design: This was a cross-sectional, study of HCWs in Calabar. Sampling Method: Multi-staged sampling method was used to select participants from two major health institutions in Calabar, i.e., the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) and the General Hospital Calabar (GHC). Thereafter, through balloting, simple random sampling technique was used to recruit the participants. Study Population: Three hundred and ninety-two HCWs were recruited from UCTH and GHC under the following categories: doctors, nurses, laboratory scientists/technologist, and other categories of HCWs such as pharmacists, ward orderlies, and mortuary attendants. Data Management: A semi-structured self-administered questionnaire was used to obtain data on the socio-demographic characteristics of HCWs, the knowledge of HCWs regarding HBV and vaccine. The analysis of data was done using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20. Results: Overall, 67.9% of the respondents were found to have adequate knowledge of HBV vaccination and infection. Less than half (43.4%) of HCWs admitted receiving three doses (i.e., full coverage) of the vaccine. Difficulty in accessing the vaccine (48, 23.4%) was identified as the major reason given for suboptimal vaccination. Conclusion: The knowledge of HBV infection and vaccination is quite modest among HCWs in Calabar. Despite this observation, the vaccination status among HCWs is unsatisfactory. The implication of the findings of our study for health policy and practice is to prevent further occupational exposure of HCWs to HBV infection through mandatory vaccination.

Healthcare associated coronavirus disease 2019 among health care workers in Normandy, France: a multi-center study

SummaryIntroductionIn the early phase of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic in France, knowledge of SARS-COV-2 characteristics was limited, and personal protective equipment (PPE) was lacking. Thus, health care workers (HCWs) were exposed to nosocomial transmission.MethodsA multicenter regional descriptive study of fifty-two heath care facilities covering 30,533 HCWs in western Normandy, France, from March 3 to March 27, 2020, before the incidence threshold of 10/100,000 inhabitants was crossed in the study area. The incidence rate of COVID-19 in HCWs, the attack rates and the serial interval distribution of nosocomial transmission were computed. Demographic characteristics of HCWs, contacts with index cases, and the use of personal protective equipment were collected by a structured questionnaire.ResultsThe incidence rate of COVID-19 in HCWs was 2.7‰. Among 19 situations (13 clusters >2 cases), 10 were HCW-HCW and 9 patient-HCW transmission, the global attack rate was 13.7% (95% confidence interval, 10.6%–17.3%), and 68 HCWs were involved (10 index cases, with 58 secondary cases). Exposure of secondary cases was only in the presymptomatic phase of the index case in 29% of cases, 48% for HCW-HCW and 10% for patient-HCW transmission (P<0.001). The mean serial interval was 5.1 days (95% CI, 4.2–5.9 days). Preventative measures were not optimal.ConclusionsOur investigation demonstrated that HCWs who were not assigned to the care of COVID-19 patients were not prepared for the arrival of this particularly insidious new virus, which spread rapidly from an often asymptomatic colleague or patient.

Characteristics of healthcare workers who died during the fight against COVID-19 in China.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), first reported in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, has progressed to a pandemic associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Little is known about the healthcare workers who died fighting the disease in China. This paper analyzed the data of 78 Chinese healthcare workers who died in the fight against COVID-19 between 23 January and 2 June, 2020, and revealed the following characteristics. First, compared to the number of deaths directly attributable to COVID-19, more healthcare workers died from pre-existing disease attack induced by excessive fatigue or died from accidents. Second, the median age of the healthcare workers who died directly from COVID-19 was younger than that of the Wuhan non- healthcare workers who died of COVID 19. Third, although more women than men were involved in fighting the pandemic, more men died. Fourth, more healthcare workers died in Hubei than in other provinces. Fifth, most of the healthcare workers who died directly from COVID-19 were non-professionals.

High prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among symptomatic healthcare workers in a large university tertiary hospital in S\xe3o Paulo, Brazil

BackgroundBrazil became the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America since May 2020, reporting the highest number of cases and deaths in the region. Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, experiencing a significant burden from COVID-19. Identifying and understanding the clinical characteristics and risk factors associated with infection are of paramount importance to inform screening strategies and infection control practices in this scenario. The aims of this study were to investigate the prevalence and clinical characteristics of HCWs with COVID-19 symptoms.MethodsBetween March 21st and May 22nd, 2020 a cross-sectional study was performed in a tertiary university hospital in São Paulo. Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among HCWs with COVID-19 symptoms was determined by RT-PCR testing on nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal samples. Participants were asked to complete an electronic structured questionnaire including clinical and demographic data.ResultsOverall, 125 (42.37%) of 295 symptomatic HCWs tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Over the 10-week study period, positivity rates varied from 22.2% (95% CI 15.9–60.3%) in the second week to 55.9% (95% CI 43.2–68.6%) in the sixth week, reaching a plateau (38–46%) thereafter. Median (SD) age was 34.2 (9.9) years and 205 (69.5%) were female. We did not find significant differences in the prevalence of the most commonly reported underlying medical condition among healthcare workers that tested positive or negative for SARS-CoV-2 infection. After multivariable analysis, using logistic regression, anosmia (adjusted OR 4.4 95% CI 2.21–8.74) and ocular pain (adjusted OR 1.95 95% CI 1.14–3.33) were the only symptoms independently associated with positivity for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Follow-up information on clinical outcomes showed that 9 (7.2%) HCWs were hospitalized (seven were male) and 2 (1.6%) died.ConclusionsThe findings of this study confirmed the high burden of SARS-CoV-2 infection among healthcare workers in the hardest hit city by the pandemic in Latin America. Anosmia and ocular pain were symptoms independently associated with COVID-19 diagnosis. In low and middle-income countries, where limited availability of tests is frequent, these findings may contribute to optimize a targeted symptom-oriented screening strategy.

Influenza Vaccination Hesitancy among Healthcare Workers in South Al Batinah Governorate in Oman: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Seasonal influenza infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Healthcare workers (HCWs) are an important target group for vaccination against influenza due to their increased risk of infection and their potential to transmit the infection to their patients, families and communities. The aim of this study was to assess the potential hesitancy and its associated factors towards influenza vaccination amongst HCWs in the South Al Batinah governorate in Oman. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 390 HCWs with direct or indirect patient contact was conducted in May and June 2019 using a self-administered questionnaire. Associations between HCW characteristics and vaccination status were examined using bivariate and multivariate analyses to identify the likelihood of vaccination against seasonal influenza among HCWs. Results: Overall, 60% of HCWs were vaccinated in the 2018/2019 season; vaccine uptake among nurses was 52% and uptake was higher among women. Self-protection and protection of the community were the most cited reasons for vaccine acceptance, with side effects being the main reason for hesitancy. Vaccinated respondents had a higher mean knowledge score (7.18; standard deviation SD: 2.14) than unvaccinated respondents (6.30; SD: 2.2). Odds of vaccination were highest among respondents who believed influenza vaccine should be mandatory for HCWs (Odds ratio (OR): 2.04 [1.30–3.18]), those working in the general medicine, emergency medicine, or intensive care units (OR: 1.92 [1.20–3.10]), nurses and doctors (OR: 1.75 [1.09–2.79]) and those who believe that HCWs should receive an influenza vaccine (OR: 1.35 [1.07–2.77]). Conclusions: The study provides valuable insights into the enablers and barriers of influenza vaccination practices among HCWs and may inform interventions to increase acceptance of vaccination.