Medicina (Dec 2021)

The Effects of COVID-19 on Healthcare Workers and Non-Healthcare Workers in Mexico: 14 Months into the Pandemic

  • César Esquivel-Chirino,
  • Yolanda Valero-Princet,
  • Luis Alberto Gaitán-Cepeda,
  • Carlos Hernández-Hernández,
  • Alejandro Macías Hernández,
  • Hugo Laparra-Escareño,
  • José Luis Ventura-Gallegos,
  • Delina Montes-Sánchez,
  • Ambar Lopéz-Macay,
  • Fernando Hernández-Sánchez,
  • William Alves de Oliveira,
  • José Antonio Morales-González,
  • Daniela Carmona-Ruiz,
  • Karol Rosen-Esquivel,
  • Alejandro Zentella-Dehesa

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina57121353
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 57, no. 12
p. 1353

Abstract

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Background and Objectives: Healthcare workers (HCWs) play important roles in mitigating the COVID-19 pandemic and are more likely to become infected with COVID-19. Mexico, among other countries, had a high incidence and prevalence of cases and deaths from this disease. Material and Methods: This retrospective study evaluated the clinical characteristics as well as the geographical distribution of cases, deaths, and active cases of COVID-19 in HCWs and non-HCWs using official information from the Ministry of Health of Mexico. Results: A total of 235,343 cases of COVID-19 were reported in healthcare workers, and 2,094,191 cases were reported in non-healthcare workers. A total of 76.0% of cases in healthcare workers occurred in those who were between 25 and 50 years of age, and 71.4% of deaths occurred in those who were 50 to 69 years of age. Among healthcare workers, the most frequent comorbidities were obesity (15.2%), hypertension (10.9%), and diabetes (6.8%). Nurses were the group with the most cases (39.7%), followed by other healthcare workers (30.6%), physicians (26%), and dentists (1.6%). Physicians were the group with the most deaths (46%), followed by other professionals (30%), nurses (19%), and dentists (3%). Conclusion: These findings are likely the result of healthcare workers in Mexico being at a greater risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2.

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