Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG seroprevalence among non-vaccinated healthcare workers: a study from rural North India

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease reported in China initially which spread around the world in no time affecting millions of people. It is caused by a new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2 or 2019 n-CoV). The healthcare workers (HCW) are at increased risk of acquiring the disease as well as antibody response.Methods: 457 health care workers (HCW) were recruited to give blood samples for anti-SARS CoV-2 IgG testing between September to October 2020.Results: Of the 457 participants, IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 were detected in 116 health care workers (25.4%). The anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were detected maximally in HCWs involved in laboratory work. Around 4 % of health care workers were RT-PCR positive form whom IgG were detected in 15 individuals (71.4%) only.Conclusions: The study concludes a higher prevalence among health care workers involved with patient’s samples and laboratory.

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Attitudes towards preventive tuberculosis treatment among hospital staff

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.1738 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 4 ◽

pp. e1738 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Vidya Pathak ◽

Zinta Harrington ◽

Claudia C. Dobler

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Significant Proportion ◽

Hospital Staff ◽

Test Results ◽

Tb Treatment ◽

Care Workers ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Latent Tb

Background.Healthcare workers have an increased risk of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), but previous studies suggested that they might be reluctant to accept preventive tuberculosis (TB) treatment. We aimed to examine doctors’ and nurses’ experience of TB screening and to explore their attitudes towards preventive TB treatment.Methods.We conducted a survey among randomly selected healthcare workers at a tertiary hospital in Sydney, Australia, using a paper-based questionnaire.Results.A total of 1,304 questionnaires were distributed and 311 (24%) responses were received. The majority of hospital staff supported preventive TB treatment in health care workers with evidence of latent TB infection (LTBI) in general (74%, 164/223) and for them personally (81%, 198/244) while 80 and 53 healthcare workers respectively had no opinion on the topic. Staff working in respiratory medicine were significantly less likely to support preventive TB treatment in health care workers in general or for them personally if they would have evidence of LTBI compared to other specialties (p= 0.001). Only 13% (14/106) of respondents with evidence of LTBI indicated that they had been offered preventive TB treatment. Twenty-one percent (64/306) of respondents indicated that they did not know the difference between active and latent TB. Among staff who had undergone testing for LTBI, only 33% (75/230) felt adequately informed about the meaning of their test results.Discussion.Hospital staff in general had positive attitudes towards preventive TB treatment, but actual treatment rates were low and perceived knowledge about LTBI was insufficient among a significant proportion of staff. The gap between high support for preventive TB treatment among staff and low treatment rates needs to be addressed. Better education on the concept of LTBI and the meaning of screening test results is required.

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Development of an Objective Risk Stratification Tool to facilitate workplace assessments of healthcare workers when dealing with the CoViD-19 pandemic

10.1101/2020.05.05.20091967 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

W David Strain ◽

Janusz Jankowski ◽

Angharad Davies ◽

Peter MB English ◽

Ellis Friedman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

High Risk ◽

Risk Stratification ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

List Type ◽

Care Workers ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Objective Risk ◽

Risk Stratification Tool

SummaryHealthcare workers have a greater exposure to individuals with confirmed SARS-novel coronavirus 2, and thus a higher probability of contracting coronavirus disease (CoViD)-19, than the general population. Employers have a duty of care to minimise the risk for their employees. Several bodies including the Faculty of Occupational Medicine, NHS Employers, and Public Health England have published a requirement to perform risk assessments for all health care workers, however, with the absence of an objective risk stratification tool, comparing assessments between individuals is difficult if not impossible. Using published data, we explored the predictive role of basic demographics such as age, sex, ethnicity and comorbidities in order to establish an objective risk stratification tool that could help risk allocate duties to health care workers. We developed an objective risk stratification tool using a Caucasian female <50years of age with no comorbidities as a reference. Each point allocated to risk factors was associated with an approximate doubling in risk. This tool was then validated against the primary care-based analysis. This tool provides objective support for employers when determining which healthcare workers should be allocated to high-risk vs. lower risk patient facing clinical duties or to remote supportive roles.Strengths and limitations of this studyThere is an increased risk of mortality in the clinical workforce due to the effects of CoViD-19.This manuscript outlines a simple risk stratification tool that helps to quantify an individual’s biological riskThis will assist team leaders when allocating roles within clinical departments.This tool does not incorporate other external factors, such as high-risk household members or those at higher risk of mental health issues, that may require additional consideration when allocating clinical duties in an appropriate clinical domain.This population-based analysis did not explain for the very high risk observed in BAME healthcare workers suggesting there are other issues at play that require addressing. BAME healthcare workers suggesting there are other issues at play that require addressing.

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Seroprevalence of Antibodies against SARS COV- 2 among Health Care Workers at Tertiary Care Hospital, Uttarakhand: A Retrospective study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-783686/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Amit K Saini ◽

Prasan Kumar Panda ◽

Yogesh Arvind Bahurupi ◽

Balram Omar ◽

Akhil T ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Retrospective Study ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Tertiary Care ◽

Care Hospital ◽

Igg Antibodies ◽

Care Institute ◽

Care Workers ◽

Low Prevalence

Abstract Background: The number of confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections is vastly underestimated. In this context, Seroprevalence surveys are of utmost importance to assess the proportion of the population that has already developed antibodies against the virus and might potentially be protected against subsequent infection. Health care workers face greater risk of developing SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, present retrospective study was undertaken to estimate the prevalence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 among healthcare workers at tertiary care institute, Uttarakhand. Material and Methods : Data was gathered from Hospital records of 704 healthcare workers admitted at COVID 19 Unit and attended Covid-OPD of tertiary care institute, Uttarakhand in-between 15th July to 14th Aug 2020. Result: Out of the 704 recruited participants, 14 (1.99%) were seropositive for IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. The cumulative prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection (presence of antibodies or past or current positive RT-PCR) was 4.40%. Conclusion: The present study shows a low prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies among health care workers. In addition, posting in COVID-19-positive areas was not associated with increased seropositivity. More studies are warranted to assess IgG/IgM antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 among those HCW who are exposed to COVID-19 patients.

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Virological characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine breakthrough infections in health care workers

10.1101/2021.08.20.21262158 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Marc Conrad Shamier ◽

Alma Tostmann ◽

Susanne Bogers ◽

Janet De Wilde ◽

Jeroen IJpelaar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Infectious Virus ◽

Virus Detection ◽

Lower Probability ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

Virus Shedding ◽

Care Workers ◽

Virus Culture

SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are highly effective at preventing COVID-19-related morbidity and mortality. As no vaccine is 100% effective, breakthrough infections are expected to occur. We analyzed the virological characteristics of 161 vaccine breakthrough infections in a population of 24,706 vaccinated healthcare workers (HCWs), using RT-PCR and virus culture. The delta variant (B.1.617.2) was identified in the majority of cases. Despite similar Ct-values, we demonstrate lower probability of infectious virus detection in respiratory samples of vaccinated HCWs with breakthrough infections compared to unvaccinated HCWs with primary SARS-CoV-2 infections. Nevertheless, infectious virus was found in 68.6% of breakthrough infections and Ct-values decreased throughout the first 3 days of illness. We conclude that rare vaccine breakthrough infections occur, but infectious virus shedding is reduced in these cases.

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Role of BCG Vaccination in prevention of COVID-19 infection amongst the health care workers

10.36106/ijar/4311804 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 53-55

Author(s):

Renu Agrawal ◽

Sunil Kapur ◽

Shimona Kapur

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Protective Role ◽

Additional Dose ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

Bcg Vaccination ◽

Care Workers ◽

A Prospective Study

Objective : To find out the role of additional dose of BCG vaccination in health care workers in prevention of COVID-19 infection Study design : A prospective study to find out the incidence of COVID 19 infection in healthcare worker exposed to COVID-19 indoor patients by doing RT- PCR testing at the end of 15 days of COVID duty. Setting : The study was conducted at Noida COVID Hospital, Noida District Hospital and Superspecialilty PG Teaching institute (SSPGTI) hospital, Noida Result : No Health care worker who received additional dose dose of BCG vaccination contracted COVID infection as confirmed by RT-PCR at the end of 15 days of indoor COVID duty (Nil out of 80 healthcare workers) whereas in controls i.e. those who were not vaccinated 28 out of 130 controls contracted COVID-19 infection. Conclusion : Additional dose of BCG vaccination after the age of 20 year in healthcare workers engaged in care of admitted COVID-19 patients has a protective role since the COVID status of the patients attending hospitals for any other ailments is not known routine BCG immunization of the medical staff is recommended

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Rapid environmental monitoring, capture, and destruction activities of SARS-CoV-2 during the Covid-19 health emergency

10.1101/2020.11.24.20237040 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Roberto Marchetti ◽

Martina Stella ◽

Debjyoti Talukdar ◽

Rosaria Erika Pileci

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Health Workers ◽

Pcr Analysis ◽

List Type ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

Care Workers ◽

Polymerase Chain ◽

Hospital Wards

ABSTRACTObjectivesSARS-CoV-2 pandemic is a health emergency for occupational healthcare workers at COVID19 hospital wards in Italy. The objective of the study was to investigate if U-Earth AIRcel bioreactors were effective in monitoring and improving air quality via detection, capture, and destruction of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, reducing the risk of transmission among healthcare workers.MethodsU-Earth AIRcel bioreactors are a demonstrated effective biomonitoring system. We implemented a methodological approach wherein they were placed at various hospitals treating COVID-19 patients in Italy. The detection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was achieved through rapid biomonitoring testing of the solutes from the AIRcel bioreactors via SARS-CoV-2 rapid test antigen and consecutive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis with the multiplex platform (XABT) and the Real-Time PCR Rotor-Gene.ResultsThe marked presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was found in multiple water samples via the detection of ORF1ab + N and/or E gene involved in gene expression and cellular signaling of the SARS-CoV virus. The AIRcel bioreactors were able to neutralize the virus effectively as traces of the viruses were no longer found in multiple solute samples after an overnight period.ConclusionsTransmission of COVID-19 via bio-aerosols, transmitted by infected patients, remains a viable threat for health workers. AIRcel bioreactors allow for rapid biomonitoring testing for early virus detection within the environment, reducing the risk of exponential contagion exposure and maintaining good air quality without endangering health workers. This same protocol can also be extended to public spaces as a bio-monitoring tool for hotpots early detection.Key messagesWhat is already known about this subject?Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 virus via bio-aerosols is a threat to health care workers. Only few studies have conducted investigations on how to limit the spread of the virus via air purifiers.Existing studies show a higher risk to health care workers serving at COVID-19 wards with a higher risk of viral transmission.What are the new findings?In this study, SARS-CoV-2 virus traces were captured by U-Earth air purifier bioreactor units placed at several hospitals in Italy.AIRcel bioreactors achieved early detection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus within the environment via rapid biomonitoring testing.AIRcel bioreactors have proved effective in biomonitoring via the detection, capture, and destruction of SARS-CoV-2 virus through reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis with the multiplex platform (XABT) Multiple Real-Time PCR Rotor-Gene.How might this impact on policy or clinical practice in the foreseeable future?This study shows the need for effective surveillance and biomonitoring to contain the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. AIRcel bioreactors, an effective occupational surveillance system, can reduce the transmission of the virus to health care workers serving COVID-19 infected patients at hospital wards.AIRcel bioreactors can also be used in public spaces and other settings, such as schools, to increase the speed of detection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and improve control of the environment, thereby decreasing the exponential growth of the pandemic.

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Cumulative incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection and associated risk factors among frontline health care workers in Paris, France: the SEROCOV prospective cohort study

10.1101/2021.03.09.21253200 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Pierre Hausfater ◽

David Boutolleau ◽

Karine Lacombe ◽

Alexandra Beurton ◽

Margaux Dumont ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Health Care ◽

Cohort Study ◽

Intensive Care ◽

Confidence Interval ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

First Line ◽

Care Workers ◽

Increased Risk

AbstractBackgroundWith the COVID-19 pandemic, documenting whether health care workers (HCWs) are at increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 contamination and identifying risk factors is of major concern.MethodsIn this multicenter prospective cohort study, HCWs from frontline departments were included in March and April 2020 and followed for 3 months. SARS-CoV-2 serology was performed at month 0 (M0), M1, and M3 and RT-PCR in case of symptoms. The primary outcome was laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection at M3. Risk factors of laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection at M3 were identified by multivariate logistic regression.ResultsAmong 1,062 HCWs (median [interquartile range] age, 33 [28-42] years; 758 [71.4%] women; 321 [30.2%] physicians), the cumulative incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection at M3 was 14.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] [12.5; 16.9]). Risk factors were the working department specialty, with increased risk for intensive care units (odds ratio 1.80, 95%CI [0.38; 8.58]), emergency departments (3.91 [0.83; 18.43]) and infectious diseases departments (4.22 [0.92; 18.28]); active smoking was associated with reduced risk (0.36 [0.21; 0.63]). Age, sex, professional category, number of years of experience in the job or department, and public transportation use were not significantly associated with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection at M3.ConclusionThe rate of SARS-CoV-2 infection in frontline HCWs was 14.6% at the end of the first COVID-19 wave in Paris and occurred mainly early. The study argues for an origin of professional in addition to private life contamination and therefore including HCWs in the first-line vaccination target population. It also highlights that smokers were at lower risk.Key messagesDuring the first epidemic wave, 14.6% of 1,062 first-line Health Care Workers had a positive serology and/or RT-PCR test for SARS-CoV-2.Most infections occurred earlyRisk was increased by working in infectious diseases (OR 4.22, 95% confidence interval [0.92; 18.28]), emergency (3.91 [0.83; 18.43]) and intensive care units (1.80, [0.38; 8.58])Being an active smoker was protective (0.36 [0.21; 0.3]).

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Depression, Anxiety and Stress among Nepali Health Care Workers during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic: A Cross-sectional Survey

Journal of Nepal Medical Association ◽

10.31729/jnma.6747 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 59 (238) ◽

Author(s):

Ishwor Sharma ◽

Anurag Misra ◽

Bipin Kumar Shrestha ◽

Arun Kumar Koirala ◽

Anita Banjade ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Well Being ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Substantial Impact ◽

Care Workers ◽

The World ◽

The Impact

Introduction: Studies among health care workers from different part of world during the coronavirus disease 19 pandemic have reported substantial impact on their physical, mental and emotional well-being. This study measured the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 on the mental health of Nepali healthcare workers in different parts of the world during the pandemic. Methods: This cross-sectional survey was carried out from December 25, 2020 to Jan 25, 2021. Ethical approval was taken from the Institutional Review Committee (reference number: 372). Online questionnaire including demographic profiles and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales-21 instrument were sent to Nepali healthcare workers around the world through social media apps using convenience sampling. Data were entered into Microsoft Excel for Mac version 16.49 and analysed. Results: Among 208 who participated in the study, 62 (30%) participants were positive for anxiety, 47 (22.5%) for depression and 25 (12%) for stress. Higher prevalence of depression 18 (30%) and stress 10 (17%) was found in nurses compared to paramedics, among whom depression was seen in 5 (20%) and stress in 4 (16%). Among doctors, depression was found in 24 (19%) and stress in 11 (9%). Conclusions: This study demonstrated that a high proportion of healthcare workers were suffering from depression, anxiety and stress. Our findings are similar to the data from other national and international studies.

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Nationwide Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 IgG Antibodies among Four Groups of Primary Health-Care Workers and Their Household Contacts 6 Months after the Initiation of the COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign in France: SeroPRIM Study Protocol

Pathogens ◽

10.3390/pathogens10070911 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (7) ◽

pp. 911

Author(s):

Marie Pouquet ◽

Dorine Decarreaux ◽

Pol Prévot-Monsacré ◽

Corentin Hervé ◽

Andréas Werner ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Primary Health Care ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Phase 1 ◽

Vaccination Campaign ◽

Igg Antibodies ◽

Household Contacts ◽

Primary Health ◽

Care Workers ◽

Natural Protection

Background: The protocol study will focus on the seroprevalence of IgG antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 achieved by vaccination and/or natural protection as well as the history, symptoms, and risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 in four primary health-care workers (PHCWs) and their household contacts in metropolitan France. Methods: Here, we propose a protocol for a nationwide survey to determine the seroprevalence of IgG antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 achieved by vaccination and/or natural protection in four PHCW populations (general practitioners, pediatricians, pharmacists and assistants, and dentists and assistants) and their household contacts. Participants will be included from June to July 2021 (Phase 1) among PHCW populations located throughout metropolitan France. They will be asked to provide a range of demographic and behavioral information since the first SARS-CoV-2 wave and a self-sampled dried blood spot. Phase 1 will involve also a questionnaire and serological study of PHCWs’ household contacts. Seroprevalence will be estimated using two ELISAs designed to detect specific IgG antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in humoral fluid, and these results will be confirmed using a virus neutralization test. This study will be repeated from November to December 2021 (Phase 2) to evaluate the evolution of immune status achieved by vaccination and/or natural protection of PHCWs and to describe the history of exposure to SARS-CoV-2.

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