Serologic Surveillance and Phylogenetic Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Hospital Health Care Workers

January 13, 2021

Serologic Surveillance and Phylogenetic Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Hospital Health Care Workers

[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] A prospective study of 801 healthcare workers (HCW) conducted from May-June 2020 found that SARS-CoV-2 incidence was highest in HCW working in COVID-19 patient care (13%), as compared with non-COVID-19 patient care (7%, HR=2.2) and not working in patient care (4%, HR=3.9). Within the group caring for COVID-19 patients, SARS-CoV-2 cumulative incidence…

December 28, 2020

Antibody Status and Incidence of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Health Care Workers

The presence of SARS-CoV-2 anti-spike or anti-nucleocapsid IgG antibodies was associated with a reduced risk of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection over 6 months of follow-up among health care workers in the UK (n=12,541). The risk of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 by PCR during study follow-up was 1.09 per 10,000 person-days at risk among workers who were negative…

December 21, 2020

On the Front Lines of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Occupational Experiences of the Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Assault Workforce

A survey of professionals providing support to survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual assault indicated that since the start of the pandemic, support staff are experiencing more personal and professional stressors, perceive a decrease in client safety, and lack resources needed to help survivors and themselves. Common problems included a lack of food…

Risk Factors for SARS-CoV-2 Seropositivity in a Health Care Worker Population

[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] Risk factors for seropositivity among hospital workers (n = 1,557, seropositivity 10.8%) at an academic medical center in California were male gender, exposure to COVID-19 outside of work, working in food or environmental services, and working in COVID-19 units. Seropositive HCWs who were missed by occupational screening were more likely to be…

October 29, 2020

Risk of Hospital Admission with Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Healthcare Workers and Their Households: Nationwide Linkage Cohort Study

A nationwide cohort study in Scotland (n=158,445) found that despite low absolute risk, patient facing healthcare workers and their household members had a higher relative risk of hospital admission due to COVID-19 compared to non-patient facing healthcare workers and their household members. Risk of COVID-19-related hospital admission was 3-fold higher among patient facing healthcare workers…

October 28, 2020

A Large-Scale Survey on Trauma, Burnout, and Posttraumatic Growth among Nurses during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Nurses in China reported low levels of post-traumatic stress and moderate levels of post-traumatic growth when surveyed in April. An online cross-sectional survey of 12,596 nurses in China (52% worked in COVID-19 designated hospitals) reported that 13% reported trauma whereas 39% experienced post-traumatic growth. Nurses who identified as women, worked in ICUs, COVID-19 designated hospitals,…

September 17, 2020

Change in Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 Over 60 Days Among Health Care Personnel in Nashville, Tennessee

Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels declined over 60 days among all 19 health care personnel in Tennessee who had anti–SARS-CoV-2 antibodies at baseline. In 11 (58%), antibody levels declined substantially enough that they tested negative at 60 days, while 8 (42%) remained seropositive after 60 days. The authors conclude that cross-sectional seroprevalence studies may underestimate rates of…

September 15, 2020

SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence and Asymptomatic Viral Carriage in Healthcare Workers: A Cross-Sectional Study

A cross-sectional study in April 2020 of asymptomatic healthcare workers (n=545) in the UK found a 2.4% point prevalence of SARS-CoV-2, and 24.4% seroprevalence. Those who reported prior symptomatic illness had higher seroprevalence and greater antibody responses. Healthcare workers who were Black, Asian or minority ethnicity were more likely to be seropositive (OR=1.9), while those…

August 28, 2020

Fear and Avoidance of Healthcare Workers: An Important, under-Recognized Form of Stigmatization during the COVID-19 Pandemic

An online survey of a random sample of adults from the US and Canada who were not healthcare workers (HCWs) (n=3,551) found that over a quarter of respondents believed that restrictions should placed on HCWs, such as being isolated from their communities and families, and over a third of respondents avoided HCWs for fear of…