Impact of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic among health care workers in a secondary teaching hospital in Spain

Abstract

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has posed a huge challenge to healthcare systems and their personnel worldwide. The study of the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection among healthcare workers (HCW), through prevalence studies, will let us know viral expansion, individuals at most risk and the most exposed areas in healthcare organizations. The aim of this study is to gauge the impact of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in our hospital workforce and identify groups and areas at increased risk. Methods and findings This is a cross-sectional and incidence study carried out on healthcare workers based on molecular and serological diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Of the 3013 HCW invited to participate, 2439 (80.9%) were recruited, including 674 (22.4%) who had previously consulted at the Occupational Health Service (OHS) for confirmed exposure and/or presenting symptoms suggestive of COVID-19. A total of 411 (16.9%) and 264 (10.8%) healthcare workers were SARS-CoV-2 IgG and rRT-PCR positive, respectively. The cumulative prevalence considering all studies (IgG positive HCW and/or rRT-PCR positive detection) was 485 (19.9%). SARS-CoV-2 IgG-positive patients in whom the virus was not detected were 221 (9.1%); up to 151 of them (68.3%) did not report any compatible symptoms nor consult at the OHS for this reason. Men became more infected than women (25% vs 18.5%, p = 0.0009), including when data were also classified by age. COVID-19 cumulative prevalence among the HCW assigned to medical departments was higher (25.2%) than others, as well as among medical staff (25.4%) compared with other professional categories (p<0.01). Conclusions The global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on HCW of our centre has been 19.9%. Doctors and medical services personnel have had the highest prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection, but many of them have not presented compatible symptoms. This emphasizes the performance of continuous surveillance methods of the most exposed health personnel and not only based on the appearance of symptoms.

High Seroprevalence Against SARS-CoV-2 Among Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Personnel and Students of the University of Alcalá, Spain: Contributing Factors

“…Our results concur well with the 15.8 and 19.9% of prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among healthcare workers founded in Kasr Al-Aini University Hospital, Cairo University, and Hospital Universitario de Fuenlabrada, respectively. 24 , 25 Reports from various countries show different seroprevalence of SARS-CoV2 patterns among healthcare workers (HCWs), with an 8.7% in the meta-analysis by Galanis et al, being higher in studies conducted in North America (12.7%) compared to those in Europe (8.5%), Africa (8.2%) and Asia (4%). 26 …”

Infection prevention and control compliance among exposed healthcare workers in COVID-19 treatment centers in Ghana: A descriptive cross-sectional study

“…For instance, data from recent studies showed healthcare workers are more likely to be exposed to SARS-COV-2 [9] and are, therefore, at higher risk of COVID-19 infection than the general community [10]. Hence, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare workers has been enormous [11]. However, prevention remains the best weapon for protecting healthcare workers against the COVID-19 pandemic [12].…”

Causes of anxiety among teachers giving face-to-face lessons after the reopening of schools during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study

“…Accordingly, school boards and teachers, who typically work in high-risk congregate settings, are taking actions to prevent infections, such as adopting online teaching methods to replace traditional face-to-face classroom environments [ 5 – 7 ]. However, since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, adults and children alike have reported experiencing anxiety-induced depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other psychological symptoms [ 8 – 10 ]. The impacts of online lessons on children include poor mental health and widening learning disparities among children in low-income families.…”