Risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection in healthcare workers following an identified nosocomial COVID-19 exposure during waves 1–3 of the pandemic in Ireland

Abstract

Healthcare workers (HCWs) have increased exposure and subsequent risk of infection with SARS-CoV-2. This case-control study was conducted to investigate the contemporaneous risks associated with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection amongst HCWs following in-work exposure to a confirmed COVID-19 case. We assessed the influence of demographic (age, sex, nationality, high risk co-morbidities and vaccination status) and work-related factors (job role, exposure location, contact type, PPE use) on infection risk following nosocomial SARS-CoV-2 exposure. All contact tracing records within the hospital site during Waves 1-3 of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland were screened to identify exposure events, cases and controls. 285 cases and 1526 controls were enrolled, as a result of 1811 in-work exposure events with 745 index cases. We demonstrate that male sex, Eastern European nationality, exposure location, PPE use and vaccination status all impact the likelihood of SARS-CoV-2 infection following nosocomial SARS-CoV-2 exposure. The findings draw attention to the need for continuing emphasis on PPE use and its persisting benefit in the era of COVID-19 vaccinations. We suggest that non-work-related factors may influence infection risk seen in certain ethnic groups and that infection risk in high-risk HCW roles (e.g. nursing) may be the result of repeated exposures rather than risks inherent to a single event.

Incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among healthcare workers before and after COVID-19 vaccination in a tertiary paediatric hospital in Warsaw: a retrospective cohort study

“…Furthermore, only a small percentage of HCWs (with available data on the possible source of exposure) reported exposure at work, and even fewer had high-risk contact with a COVID-19 patient. A recent casecontrol study from Ireland, investigating the impact of demographic and work-related factors on the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection after in-work exposure to a confirmed case of COVID-19, revealed that male sex, Eastern European nationality, exposure location, PPE use, and vaccination status all impact the likelihood of SARS-CoV-2 infection throughout the first, second, and third pandemic waves 32 . In this study, no individual job role was determined to have a consistently higher risk of infection after documented nosocomial exposure.…”

Incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among healthcare workers before and after COVID-19 vaccination in a tertiary paediatric hospital in Warsaw: A retrospective cohort study

“…Furthermore, only a small percentage of HCWs (with available data on the possible source of exposure) reported exposure at work, and even fewer had high-risk contact with a COVID-19 patient. A recent case-control study from Ireland, investigating the impact of demographic and work-related factors on the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection after in-work exposure to a confirmed case of COVID-19, revealed that male sex, Eastern European nationality, exposure location, PPE use, and vaccination status all impact the likelihood of SARS-CoV-2 infection throughout the first, second, and third pandemic waves [ 35 ]. In this study, no individual job role was determined to have a consistently higher risk of infection after documented nosocomial exposure.…”

“…It is likely that the increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection among nurses observed in our and other studies may be an indication of the cumulative risk of certain nursing staff roles, which have an increased intensity of contact with patients and other HCWs over time, and this increases the probability of infection. In addition, nurses make up a significant proportion of the total hospital staff (approximately one-third in our cohort), thus resulting in over-representation, which may influence the interpretation of risk [ 35 ].…”

Incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among healthcare workers before and after COVID-19 vaccination in a tertiary paediatric hospital in Warsaw: a retrospective cohort study

“…Furthermore, only a small percentage of HCWs (with available data on the possible source of exposure) reported exposure at work, and even fewer had high-risk contact with a COVID-19 patient. A recent case-control study from Ireland, investigating the impact of demographic and work-related factors on the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection after in-work exposure to a con rmed case of COVID-19, revealed that male sex, Eastern European nationality, exposure location, PPE use, and vaccination status all impact the likelihood of SARS-CoV-2 infection throughout the rst, second, and third pandemic waves 32 . In this study, no individual job role was determined to have a consistently higher risk of infection after documented nosocomial exposure.…”