Objectives: The aim of this study is to assess the persistence of symptoms, the prevalence of post-COVID-19 syndrome, and the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among health care workers (HCWs) 6 months after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted. All HCWs with confirmed COVID-19 from January to June 2021 were invited to participate. Health-related quality of life was evaluated in three moments: before COVID-19, after COVID-19 (on return to work), and after 6 months. Persistence of symptoms post-COVID-19 was also assessed. Results: There was a worsening in all dimensions of HRQOL. After 6 months, self-rated health on EuroQol visual analog scale did not return to pre-COVID-19 values. At total, 36.2% of HCWs were diagnosed with post-COVID-19 syndrome. Conclusions: There was a significant deterioration in HRQOL among HCWs who had COVID-19 and a high frequency of post-COVID-19 syndrome.
Vaccines are the most effective strategy to control the spread of coronavirus disease‐2019 (COVID‐19). Data on COVID‐19 among healthcare workers (HCW) pre‐ and postvaccination are limited. This study aims to evaluate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of HCW with COVID‐19 pre‐ and postvaccination. Retrospective cohort study. All HCWs with suspected COVID‐19 were included. Demographic data, occupation, symptoms, work in COVID‐19 area, and vaccination status were collected. There were 22 267 HCW visits for suspected COVID‐19; 7879 (35.4%) tested positive, and 14 388 (64.6%) tested negative. Fever, cough, fatigue, and dyspnea were positive predictors of COVID‐19, and sore throat, headache, coryza, work in a COVID‐19 area, and COVID‐19 vaccination were negative predictors. Of the total number of visits, 41.2% were from vaccinated HCW and 58.8% were from unvaccinated HCW. Among HCWs with COVID‐19, 84 (1.1%) required hospitalization, 11 (0.1%) in an intensive care unit (ICU), with three (0.04%) deaths. Six hospitalizations occurred in vaccinated HCWs, being of short duration, with no need for ICU admission and no deaths. SARS‐CoV‐2 infection prevalence was high among HCW, and vaccinated HCW had fewer hospitalizations, need for ICU, and deaths. Therefore, vaccines may attenuate COVID‐19 severity, and efforts must be concentrated to ensure adequate vaccination for HCW.
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