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Contact Tracing of Healthcare Workers Exposed to COVID-19 Infection in a Tertiary-Care Hospital: Containing the
Sarit Sharma1, Vikas Gupta2, Ashvind Bawa3
1Department of Community Medicine, Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana, Punjab, India.
Insights
Healthcare workers (HCWs) face high COVID-19 risks. Risk stratification effectively identified high-risk HCWs, with positivity rates up to 19.5%, guiding infection control measures.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Occupational Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at increased risk of COVID-19 infection due to patient proximity.
- Understanding risk factors and positivity rates in HCWs is crucial for infection control.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess risk stratification and COVID-19 positivity rates among HCWs.
- To identify factors contributing to HCW COVID-19 infection risk.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study of HCWs from March 2020 to June 2021.
- Data collected via interviews and hospital records, including demographics, risk stratification, and COVID-19 test results.
- Statistical analysis using percentages, proportions, and Chi-square tests.
Main Results:
- COVID-19 positivity rate was 19.5% in high-risk HCWs vs. 0.6% in low-risk HCWs.
- Higher risk observed in HCWs from non-COVID-19 areas (67.9%) compared to COVID-19 areas (32.1%).
- Highest positivity rates in high-risk HCWs linked to body fluid exposure (21%), aerosol-generating procedures (20%), and operating theater exposure (18%).
Conclusions:
- Risk stratification is vital for managing HCW infections after exposure.
- Effective contact tracing prevents unnecessary quarantine and controls infection spread.
- HCWs must adhere to PPE, mask-wearing, and social distancing both at work and in the community.
Introduction:
Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at higher risk of getting infected with COVID-19 infection due to their close proximity to COVID-19-positive patients. We studied the risk stratification and positivity rate in HCWs at risk of getting COVID-19 infection as well as the possible factors responsible for their being at risk of COVID-19 infection during the study period.
Material And Methods:
This prospective study was conducted after approval by the institutional ethics committee. The data regarding demographic variables, risk stratification, COVID-19 (reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction) report, and possible sources of exposure for HCWs were recorded in a proforma by personal/telephonic interviews as well as from hospital records from March 2020 to June 2021. The data generated were entered into Microsoft Excel® software and analyzed using percentages, proportions, and Chi-square tests for qualitative variables.
Results:
COVID-19 infection's positivity rate was 19.5% among high-risk and 0.6% among low-risk HCW contacts. HCWs working in non-COVID-19 areas (67.9%) were more at risk than those working in COVID-19 areas (32.1%). In contrast, the COVID-19 positivity rate was significantly higher among high-risk contact HCWs from COVID-19 areas (34.2%) than in non-COVID-19 areas (12.6%). The maximum COVID-19 positivity rate was seen in high-risk contacts with body fluid exposure (21%), performing aerosol-generating procedures (20%), and close exposure in operation theaters (18%).
Conclusions:
Risk stratification is an important tool to contain infection among HCWs who had unprotected close contact with a COVID-19-positive case. With appropriate contact tracing, we were able to avoid over- and under-quarantine, save many man-hours as well as contain the spread of infection. HCWs should not only wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) during work hours but should also practice mask-wearing and social distancing while they are in the community.
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