SARS-COV-2 PCR Test Positive Healthcare Workers and Their Contact Tracing at the Hospital

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Occupational Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
• Infected HCWs can transmit the virus to their contacts.
• Understanding transmission risks within hospital settings is crucial for infection control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection among contacts of infected HCWs.
• To identify specific hospital departments and professions with higher transmission risks.
• To analyze the impact of contact type (high-risk, social, work-related) on infection rates.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of follow-up files for HCWs diagnosed with COVID-19 (April 2020-September 2021).
• Data collected on HCWs, their contacts, contact patterns, and subsequent test results.
• Statistical investigation of relationships between occupation, department, patient care, contact characteristics, and infection outcomes.

Main Results:

• Out of 464 SARS-CoV-2 positive HCWs, 234 had 1094 contacts.
• Cleaning staff had the highest number of contacts per person.
• HCWs caring for COVID-19 patients showed lower risks of high-risk/social contacts and subsequent infection (p<0.05).
• Social contacts led to more COVID-19 infections than work-related contacts (p<0.001).

Conclusions:

• COVID-19 prevalence was higher among non-healthcare workers within the hospital.
• Non-healthcare departments reported the highest contact numbers.
• Social contacts represent a significant risk factor for SARS-CoV-2 infection among HCWs.
• Targeted interventions for social contacts and non-healthcare workers are recommended.