Risk of SARS-CoV-2 exposure among hospital healthcare workers in relation to patient contact and type of care

  1. Susanna Klevebro
  2. Fuad Bahram
  3. K. Miriam Elfström
  4. Ulrika Hellberg
  5. Sophia Hober
  6. Simon Kebede Merid
  7. Inger Kull
  8. Peter Nilsson
  9. Per Tornvall
  10. Gang Wang
  11. Kalle Conneryd Lundgren
  12. Sari Ponzer
  13. Joakim Dillner
  14. Erik Melén
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Abstract

Aim

We aimed to assess the risk for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in a large cohort of healthcare workers (HCWs).

Methods

From May 11 until June 11, 2020, 3,981 HCWs at a large Swedish Emergency Care hospital provided serum samples and questionnaire data. Exposure was measured by assaying IgG antibodies to SARS-CoV-2.

Results

The total seroprevalence was 17.7% and increased during the study period. Among the seropositive HCWs, 10.5% had been entirely asymptomatic. Participants who worked with COVID-19 patients had higher odds for seropositivity: ORadj 1.96 (95% CI 1.59 – 2.42). HCWs from three of the departments managing COVID-19 patients had significantly higher seroprevalences, whereas the prevalence among HCWs from the Intensive Care Unit (also managing COVID-19 patients) was significantly lower.

Conclusion

HCWs in contact with SARS-CoV-2 infected patients had a variable, but on average higher, likelihood for SARS-CoV-2 infections.

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