Identifying higher risk subgroups of health care workers for priority vaccination against COVID-19

Abstract

Background: Health care workers (HCWs) are exposed to high risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection due to close contact with infected patients in hospital. The objective of this study was to estimate the seroprevalence and to identify the exposure risk of various subgroups among HCWs to prioritize them for early vaccination. Methods: This was a multicentre cross-sectional study conducted between 15 and 29 June 2020. A total of 987 HCWs were recruited randomly from two major tertiary-care hospitals of Peshawar city, Pakistan. The HCWs included doctors, nurses, paramedics and hospital support staff. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)–approved kit was used for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Results: Overall, 310 (31.4%) HCWs were seropositive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies (95% confidence interval, CI: 28.5–34.4). Seroprevalence was higher in males (33.5%) and in age group 51–60 years (40.9%). Seropositivity increased with increasing age from 8.3% in age group ⩽20 to 40.9% in 51–60 years of age group ( p < 0.05). The highest seroprevalence was identified in paramedical staff (42·5%, 95% CI: 36.6–48.6) followed by nursing staff (38·8%, 95% CI: 32.1–45.7). In logistic regression, being a male HCW led to higher risk of seropositivity (odds ratio, OR: 1.50, 95% CI: 1·06–2.13. p < 0.05) compared with female staff members. The odds of seropositivity was higher in nurses (OR: 3·47, 95% CI: 1.99–6.05. p < 0.01), paramedical staff (OR: 3·19, 95% CI: 1.93–5.28. p < 0.01) and hospital support staff (OR: 2·47, 95% CI: 1.29–4.7. p < 0.01) compared with consultants. Conclusion: Overall, our results concluded that nursing and paramedical staff are at higher risk and should be vaccinated on priority.

Healthcare workers’ willingness to receive COVID-19 booster dose and associated factors in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

“…As a high-risk population, HCWs have been prioritized as one of the first groups to receive the vaccine according to the recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunisation Practices (ACIP). 3 , 4 In many countries, HCWs remain an important source of medical information and role models for the general population. Therefore, reluctance to vaccinate among HCWs can have widespread negative ramifications.…”

The Effect of Priority Access of Dentists to COVID-19 Vaccination in the Czech Republic

“…Although ethical views may differ based on various philosophical approaches, the effectiveness of this model can only be evaluated based on objective data. However, despite the great interest of the scientific community in COVID-19 and the general support for prioritizing the vaccination of healthcare workers, studies assessing the resulting effect of vaccination on the COVID-19 prevalence among healthcare professionals are scarce, and more studies are needed [2,3].…”

“…Healthcare workers are at a higher risk of COVID-19 infection while working with people particularly vulnerable to the disease [3,4]. One of the healthcare occupational groups most at risk of COVID-19 infection are dentists.…”