Clinical characteristics and humoral immune response in healthcare workers with COVID-19 in a teaching hospital in Belgium.
BACKGROUND: Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at high risk of acquiring COVID-19 and could play a role in nosocomial transmission. Since 4th February 2020, Belgian Health authorities reported more than 90,568 cases, of which 8.3% were HCWs. Data on clinical characteristics, sources of infection and humoral immune response of HCWs with COVID-19 remain scarce. AIM: To analyse the clinical characteristics, humoral immune response, sources of contamination, and outcomes among HCWs with COVID-19. METHODS: This retrospective study included 176 HCWs with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 in a teaching hospit... Mehr ...
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Dokumenttyp: | Artikel |
Erscheinungsdatum: | 2020 |
Verlag/Hrsg.: |
W.B. Saunders For The Hospital Infection Society
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Schlagwörter: | Adult / Antibodies / Antibody Formation / Belgium / COVID-19 / Disease Transmission / Infectious / Female / Health Personnel / Hospitals / Teaching / Humans / Immunity / Humoral / Male / Middle Aged / Nurses / Occupational Exposure / Retrospective Studies / SARS-CoV-2 / Healthcare workers / Serology |
Sprache: | Englisch |
Permalink: | https://search.fid-benelux.de/Record/base-28548244 |
Datenquelle: | BASE; Originalkatalog |
Powered By: | BASE |
Link(s) : | http://hdl.handle.net/2078.1/243818 |
BACKGROUND: Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at high risk of acquiring COVID-19 and could play a role in nosocomial transmission. Since 4th February 2020, Belgian Health authorities reported more than 90,568 cases, of which 8.3% were HCWs. Data on clinical characteristics, sources of infection and humoral immune response of HCWs with COVID-19 remain scarce. AIM: To analyse the clinical characteristics, humoral immune response, sources of contamination, and outcomes among HCWs with COVID-19. METHODS: This retrospective study included 176 HCWs with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 in a teaching hospital in Belgium. Between 1st March and 31st May 2020, all HCWs with symptoms suspected of COVID-19 were tested by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction on a nasopharyngeal swab. Serological testing was performed between 55 and 137 days after the onset of symptoms. FINDINGS: Median age was 40.8 years and 75% were female. Median delay between onset of symptoms and diagnosis was 4.39 days. Most frequent symptoms were cough and headache (both 75%). Fever accounted for 68.7%. Most represented professions were nurses (42%). HCWs were mainly infected by patient contact (32.9%); 7.6% required hospitalization and 1.7% were admitted to the intensive care unit. Unfortunately, one HCW died (0.5%). Total antibodies were positive in 109/126 (86.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Clinical presentation of COVID-19 in HCWs does not differ from the general population. However, outcomes were more favourable with a mortality rate lower than that reported in Belgian COVID-19 patients in general (16%). The main source of infection was the hospital setting. Our positive antibodies rate was high but lower than previously reported.