Potential Risk Factors for COVID-19 Infection among Healthcare Workers in a Tertiary Care Centre, Kerala, India

Abstract

Introduction: Understanding the virus transmission patterns and routes of transmission among Healthcare Workers (HCWs) is limiting the amplification events in healthcare facilities. Aim: To estimate the secondary infection rate and to describe the clinical presentation of infection and the risk factors for infection among healthcare worker contacts of Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) cases. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from June 2020 to July 2021, at a tertiary care centre, in central Kerala, India, among all the healthcare workers with exposure to a COVID-19 confirmed cases within the institution, between 15th July 2020 to 15th August 2020. Data including demographic details, information on contact and possible exposure with the COVID-19 infected patient was obtained using a questionnaire adapted from the World Health Organisation (WHO). Data was entered into Microsoft Excel and analysed using International Business Machines (IBM) Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0. Results: A total of 433 healthcare workers (382 females and 51 males, mean age: 34.33±10.79 years) were found to be exposed to COVID-19 confirmed cases in the institution. The 21% of the healthcare worker contacts were exposed while working in non COVID Intensive Care Unit (ICU) setting. Out of the 433 HCWs who were exposed to COVID-19 patients, 9 tested positive for COVID-19 [secondary infection rate was 2.07% with a Confidence Interval (CI) of 0.7-3.4%]. All nine of the positive HCWs were females, of which 88.89% were symptomatic. Conclusion: Healthcare workers are at risk of transmission of COVID-19 while providing care, hence further explorative studies, including serologic studies are recommended to further understand the epidemiology.

Keywords

• coronavirus disease-2019
• healthcare setting
• secondary infection rate