Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Wratil, Paul R.
• Schmacke, Niklas A.
• Osterman, Andreas
• Weinberger, Tobias
• Rech, Jochen
• Karakoc, Burak
• Zeilberger, Mira
• Steffen, Julius
• Mueller, Tonina T.
• Spaeth, Patricia M.
• Stern, Marcel
• Albanese, Manuel
• Thun, Hella
• Reinbold, Julia
• Sandmeyer, Benedikt
• Kressirer, Philipp
• Grabein, Béatrice
• Falkai, Peter
• Adorjan, Kristina
• Hornung, Veit
• Kaderali, Lars
• Klein, Matthias
• Keppler, Oliver T.

Titel

In-depth profiling of COVID-19 risk factors and preventive measures in healthcare workers

Ist Teil von

• Infection, 2022-04, Vol.50 (2), p.381-394

Ort / Verlag

Berlin/Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg

Erscheinungsjahr

2022

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Purpose To determine risk factors for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in healthcare workers (HCWs), characterize symptoms, and evaluate preventive measures against SARS-CoV-2 spread in hospitals. Methods In a cross-sectional study conducted between May 27 and August 12, 2020, after the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, we obtained serological, epidemiological, occupational as well as COVID-19-related data at a quaternary care, multicenter hospital in Munich, Germany. Results 7554 HCWs participated, 2.2% of whom tested positive for anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Multivariate analysis revealed increased COVID-19 risk for nurses (3.1% seropositivity, 95% CI 2.5–3.9%, p  = 0.012), staff working on COVID-19 units (4.6% seropositivity, 95% CI 3.2–6.5%, p  = 0.032), males (2.4% seropositivity, 95% CI 1.8–3.2%, p  = 0.019), and HCWs reporting high-risk exposures to infected patients (5.5% seropositivity, 95% CI 4.0–7.5%, p  = 0.0022) or outside of work (12.0% seropositivity, 95% CI 8.0–17.4%, p  < 0.0001). Smoking was a protective factor (1.1% seropositivity, 95% CI 0.7–1.8% p  = 0.00018) and the symptom taste disorder was strongly associated with COVID-19 (29.8% seropositivity, 95% CI 24.3–35.8%, p  < 0.0001). An unbiased decision tree identified subgroups with different risk profiles. Working from home as a preventive measure did not protect against SARS-CoV-2 infection. A PCR-testing strategy focused on symptoms and high-risk exposures detected all larger COVID-19 outbreaks. Conclusion Awareness of the identified COVID-19 risk factors and successful surveillance strategies are key to protecting HCWs against SARS-CoV-2, especially in settings with limited vaccination capacities or reduced vaccine efficacy.