Preprint
Differential occupational risks to healthcare workers from SARS-CoV-2: a prospective observational study
- Abstract:
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Background
Personal protective equipment (PPE) and social distancing are designed to mitigate risk of occupational SARS-CoV-2 infection in hospitals. Why healthcare workers nevertheless remain at increased risk is uncertain.
Methods
We conducted voluntary Covid-19 testing programmes for symptomatic and asymptomatic staff at a UK teaching hospital using nasopharyngeal PCR testing and immunoassays for IgG antibodies. A positive result by either modality determined a composite outcome. Risk-factors for Covid-19 were investigated using multivariable logistic regression.
Results
1083/9809(11.0%) staff had evidence of Covid-19 at some time and provided data on potential risk-factors. Staff with a confirmed household contact were at greatest risk (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 4.63 [95%CI 3.30-6.50]). Higher rates of Covid-19 were seen in staff working in Covid-19-facing areas (21.2% vs. 8.2% elsewhere) (aOR 2.49 [2.00-3.12]). Controlling for Covid-19-facing status, risks were heterogenous across the hospital, with higher rates in acute medicine (1.50 [1.05-2.15]) and sporadic outbreaks in areas with few or no Covid-19 patients. Covid-19 intensive care unit (ICU) staff were relatively protected (0.46 [0.29-0.72]). Positive results were more likely in Black (1.61 [1.20-2.16]) and Asian (1.58 [1.34-1.86]) staff, independent of role or working location, and in porters and cleaners (1.93 [1.25-2.97]). Contact tracing around asymptomatic staff did not lead to enhanced case identification. 24% of staff/patients remained PCR-positive at ≥6 weeks post-diagnosis.
Conclusions
Increased Covid-19 risk was seen in acute medicine, among Black and Asian staff, and porters and cleaners. A bundle of PPE-related interventions protected staff in ICU.
- Publication status:
- Published
- Peer review status:
- Not peer reviewed
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- Files:
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(Preview, Pre-print, pdf, 420.7KB, Terms of use)
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- Preprint server copy:
- 10.1101/2020.06.24.20135038
Authors
+ Medical Research Foundation
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- Funder identifier:
- https://ror.org/05q2q3076
- Grant:
- MRF-145-004-TPG-AVISO
- Programme:
- National PhD Training Programme
+ Wellcome Trust
More from this funder
- Funder identifier:
- https://ror.org/029chgv08
- Grant:
- 216417/Z/19/Z
- 095541/A/11/Z
- 110110/Z/15/Z
- 214560/Z/18/Z
+ Medical Research Council
More from this funder
- Funder identifier:
- https://ror.org/03x94j517
- Grant:
- MR/N00065X/1
- MR/V001329/1
+ Innovative Medicines Initiative
More from this funder
- Funder identifier:
- https://ror.org/019af4n30
- Grant:
- 115766
+ National Institute for Health Research
More from this funder
- Funder identifier:
- https://ror.org/0187kwz08
- Grant:
- CL-2018-13-007
- HPRU-2012-10041
- Preprint server:
- medRxiv
- Publication date:
- 2020-06-29
- DOI:
- Language:
-
English
- Pubs id:
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1161803
- Local pid:
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pubs:1161803
- Source identifiers:
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W3037782619
- Deposit date:
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2026-03-27
- ARK identifier:
Terms of use
- Copyright holder:
- Eyre et al.
- Copyright date:
- 2020
- Rights statement:
- The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted medRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY 4.0 International license.
- Licence:
- CC Attribution (CC BY)
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