The coronavirus disease continues to spread, with more than 44 million cases and 1 million deaths across the globe as of October 29, 2020. Healthcare workers have been at the forefront, trying to mitigate the effect of the disease. This study aims to evaluate the risk of hospital admission for COVID-19 among healthcare workers and their households.
This nationwide linkage cohort study conducted in the UK and Scotland included a total of 158,445 healthcare workers and 229,905 household members aged 18-65 years. Healthcare workers who had come in contact with COVID-19 patients were separated. The primary outcome of the study was admission to the hospital due to COVID-19.
The findings suggested that 17.2% of all hospital admissions for COVID-19 were healthcare workers and their households. After multivariable adjustment, researchers found that the risk of COVID-19-related hospital admission in non-patient-facing healthcare workers and their households was statistically similar to the risk of patient-facing healthcare workers and their households. However, covariate adjustment suggested that patient-facing healthcare workers and their households were at a higher risk.
The research concluded that healthcare workers and their households were at significant risk of hospital admission for COVID-19, with the risk being comparable in non-patient-facing and patient-facing workers.
Ref: https://www.bmj.com/content/371/bmj.m3582
