Risk of COVID-19 in Health Professionals: A Case-Control Study, Portugal
Introduction: Health professionals face higher occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2. We aimed to estimate the risk of COVID-19 test positivity in health professionals compared to non-health professionals. Methods: We conducted a test-negative case-control study using Portuguese national surveillance...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Karger Publishers
2022-01-01
|
| Series: | Portuguese Journal of Public Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/519472 |
| _version_ | 1818973343290753024 |
|---|---|
| author | Héloïse Lucaccioni Cristina Costa Mariana Perez Duque Sooria Balasegaram Rita Sá Machado |
| author_facet | Héloïse Lucaccioni Cristina Costa Mariana Perez Duque Sooria Balasegaram Rita Sá Machado |
| author_sort | Héloïse Lucaccioni |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction: Health professionals face higher occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2. We aimed to estimate the risk of COVID-19 test positivity in health professionals compared to non-health professionals. Methods: We conducted a test-negative case-control study using Portuguese national surveillance data (January to May 2020). Cases were suspected cases who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2; controls were suspected cases who tested negative. We used multivariable logistic regression modelling to estimate the odds ratio of a positive COVID-19 test (RT-PCR; primary outcome), comparing health professionals and non-health professionals (primary exposure), and adjusting for the confounding effect of demographic, clinical, and epidemiological characteristics, and the modification effect of the self-reported epidemiological link (i.e., self-reported contact with a COVID-19 case or person with COVID-19-like symptoms). Results: Health professionals had a 2-fold higher risk of a positive COVID-19 test result (aOR = 1.89, 95% CI 1.69–2.11). However, this association was strongly modified by the self-report of an epidemiological link such that, among cases who did report an epidemiological link, being a health professional was a protective factor (aOR = 0.90, 95% CI 0.82–0.98). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that health professionals might be primarily infected by unknown contacts, plausibly in the healthcare setting, but also that their occupational exposure does not systematically translate into a higher risk of transmission. We suggest that this could be interpreted in light of different types and timing of exposure, and variability in risk perception and associated preventive behaviours. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T15:22:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4c45dcd7bcb84e98950fce1328a4df65 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2504-3137 2504-3145 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T15:22:39Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Karger Publishers |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Portuguese Journal of Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-4c45dcd7bcb84e98950fce1328a4df652022-12-21T19:35:57ZengKarger PublishersPortuguese Journal of Public Health2504-31372504-31452022-01-0139313714410.1159/000519472519472Risk of COVID-19 in Health Professionals: A Case-Control Study, PortugalHéloïse Lucaccioni0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3080-9794Cristina Costa1Mariana Perez Duque2Sooria Balasegaram3Rita Sá Machado4Division of Epidemiology and Statistics, Directorate-General of Health (DGS), Lisbon, PortugalDivision of Epidemiology and Statistics, Directorate-General of Health (DGS), Lisbon, PortugalDivision of Epidemiology and Statistics, Directorate-General of Health (DGS), Lisbon, PortugalPublic Health England, London, United KingdomDivision of Epidemiology and Statistics, Directorate-General of Health (DGS), Lisbon, PortugalIntroduction: Health professionals face higher occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2. We aimed to estimate the risk of COVID-19 test positivity in health professionals compared to non-health professionals. Methods: We conducted a test-negative case-control study using Portuguese national surveillance data (January to May 2020). Cases were suspected cases who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2; controls were suspected cases who tested negative. We used multivariable logistic regression modelling to estimate the odds ratio of a positive COVID-19 test (RT-PCR; primary outcome), comparing health professionals and non-health professionals (primary exposure), and adjusting for the confounding effect of demographic, clinical, and epidemiological characteristics, and the modification effect of the self-reported epidemiological link (i.e., self-reported contact with a COVID-19 case or person with COVID-19-like symptoms). Results: Health professionals had a 2-fold higher risk of a positive COVID-19 test result (aOR = 1.89, 95% CI 1.69–2.11). However, this association was strongly modified by the self-report of an epidemiological link such that, among cases who did report an epidemiological link, being a health professional was a protective factor (aOR = 0.90, 95% CI 0.82–0.98). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that health professionals might be primarily infected by unknown contacts, plausibly in the healthcare setting, but also that their occupational exposure does not systematically translate into a higher risk of transmission. We suggest that this could be interpreted in light of different types and timing of exposure, and variability in risk perception and associated preventive behaviours.https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/519472covid-19sars-cov-2health professionalsportugal |
| spellingShingle | Héloïse Lucaccioni Cristina Costa Mariana Perez Duque Sooria Balasegaram Rita Sá Machado Risk of COVID-19 in Health Professionals: A Case-Control Study, Portugal Portuguese Journal of Public Health covid-19 sars-cov-2 health professionals portugal |
| title | Risk of COVID-19 in Health Professionals: A Case-Control Study, Portugal |
| title_full | Risk of COVID-19 in Health Professionals: A Case-Control Study, Portugal |
| title_fullStr | Risk of COVID-19 in Health Professionals: A Case-Control Study, Portugal |
| title_full_unstemmed | Risk of COVID-19 in Health Professionals: A Case-Control Study, Portugal |
| title_short | Risk of COVID-19 in Health Professionals: A Case-Control Study, Portugal |
| title_sort | risk of covid 19 in health professionals a case control study portugal |
| topic | covid-19 sars-cov-2 health professionals portugal |
| url | https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/519472 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT heloiselucaccioni riskofcovid19inhealthprofessionalsacasecontrolstudyportugal AT cristinacosta riskofcovid19inhealthprofessionalsacasecontrolstudyportugal AT marianaperezduque riskofcovid19inhealthprofessionalsacasecontrolstudyportugal AT sooriabalasegaram riskofcovid19inhealthprofessionalsacasecontrolstudyportugal AT ritasamachado riskofcovid19inhealthprofessionalsacasecontrolstudyportugal |