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Are Healthcare Workers Infected with SARS-CoV-2 at Home or at Work? A Comparative Prevalence Study

Author

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  • Shadi Zahran

    (Department of Internal Medicine, Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem 9112001, Israel)

  • Ran Nir-Paz

    (Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
    Department of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem 9112001, Israel)

  • Ora Paltiel

    (Faculty of Medicine, Braun School of Public and Community Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel)

  • Chen Stein-Zamir

    (Faculty of Medicine, Braun School of Public and Community Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
    Jerusalem District Health Office, Ministry of Health, Jerusalem 9134302, Israel)

  • Yonatan Oster

    (Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
    Department of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem 9112001, Israel)

Abstract

Prior to the widespread use of vaccinations, healthcare workers (HCWs) faced the double burden of caring for unprecedented numbers of critically ill COVID-19 patients while also facing the risk of becoming infected themselves either in healthcare facilities or at home. In order to assess whether SARS-CoV-2-positivity rates in HCWs reflected or differed from those in their residential areas, we compared the SARS-CoV-2-positivity rates during 2020 among HCWs in Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Centers (HHUMC), a tertiary medical center in Jerusalem, Israel, to those of the general population in Jerusalem, stratified by neighborhood. Additionally, we compared the demographic and professional parameters in every group. Four percent of the adult population (>18 years) in Jerusalem tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 during 2020 (24,529/605,426) compared to 7.1% of HHUMC HCWs (317/4470), rate ratio 1.75 (95% CI 1.57–1.95), with wide variability (range 0.38–25.0) among different neighborhoods. Of the 30 neighborhoods with more than 50 infected HCWs, 25 showed a higher positivity rate for HCWs compared to the general population. The higher risk of HCWs compared to residents representing the general population in most neighborhoods in Jerusalem may be explained by their behavior in and out of the hospital.

Suggested Citation

  • Shadi Zahran & Ran Nir-Paz & Ora Paltiel & Chen Stein-Zamir & Yonatan Oster, 2022. "Are Healthcare Workers Infected with SARS-CoV-2 at Home or at Work? A Comparative Prevalence Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-11, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:19:p:12951-:d:937742
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Giuseppe La Torre & Mattia Marte & Carlo Maria Previte & Lavinia Camilla Barone & Filippo Picchioni & Marta Chiappetta & Augusto Faticoni & Daniela Marotta & Elena Mazzalai & Vanessa India Barletta & , 2021. "The Synergistic Effect of Time of Exposure, Distance and No Use of Personal Protective Equipment in the Determination of SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Results of a Contact Tracing Follow-Up Study in Healthcar," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(18), pages 1-8, September.
    2. Jung Ki Kim & Eileen M Crimmins, 2020. "How does age affect personal and social reactions to COVID-19: Results from the national Understanding America Study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(11), pages 1-16, November.
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    1. Caroline Suarez-Cabello & Erick Valdivia & Andrea Vergara-Buenaventura, 2022. "Clinical-Epidemiological Profile of Dental Professionals Associated with COVID-19 Infection in Southern Peru: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-11, December.

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