Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in previously undiagnosed health care workers in New Jersey, at the onset of the U.S. COVID-19 pandemic

Emily S Barrett; Daniel B Horton; Jason Roy; Maria Laura Gennaro; Andrew Brooks; Jay Tischfield; Patricia Greenberg; Tracy Andrews; Sugeet Jagpal; Nancy Reilly; Jeffrey L Carson; Martin J Blaser; Reynold A Panettieri, Jr

doi:10.1186/s12879-020-05587-2

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Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in previously undiagnosed health care workers in New Jersey, at the onset of the U.S. COVID-19 pandemic

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in previously undiagnosed health care workers in New Jersey, at the onset of the U.S. COVID-19 pandemic

Emily S Barrett, Daniel B Horton, Jason Roy, Maria Laura Gennaro, Andrew Brooks, Jay Tischfield, Patricia Greenberg, Tracy Andrews, Sugeet Jagpal, Nancy Reilly, …

BMC infectious diseases, Vol.20(1), pp.853-853

11/16/2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-020-05587-2

PMID: 33198725

Abstract

Adult

Betacoronavirus

Cohort Studies

Coronavirus Infections - epidemiology

COVID-19

Cross-Sectional Studies

Female

Health Personnel

Humans

Male

Middle Aged

New Jersey - epidemiology

Occupational Diseases - epidemiology

Occupational Diseases - virology

Occupational Exposure - adverse effects

Pandemics

Pneumonia, Viral - epidemiology

Prevalence

Prospective Studies

Risk Factors

SARS-CoV-2

Time Factors

Young Adult

Healthcare workers (HCW) are presumed to be at increased risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection due to occupational exposure to infected patients. However, there has been little epidemiological research to assess these risks. We conducted a prospective cohort study of HCW (n = 546) and non-healthcare workers (NHCW; n = 283) with no known prior SARS-CoV-2 infection who were recruited from a large U.S. university and two affiliated university hospitals. In this cross-sectional analysis of data collected at baseline, we examined SARS-CoV-2 infection status (as determined by presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in oropharyngeal swabs) by healthcare worker status and role. At baseline, 41 (5.0%) of the participants tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection, of whom 14 (34.2%) reported symptoms. The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection was higher among HCW (7.3%) than in NHCW (0.4%), representing a 7.0% greater absolute risk (95% confidence interval for risk difference 4.7, 9.3%). The majority of infected HCW (62.5%) were nurses. Positive tests increased across the two weeks of cohort recruitment in line with rising confirmed cases in the hospitals and surrounding counties. Overall, our results demonstrate that HCW had a higher prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection than NHCW. Continued follow-up of this cohort will enable us to monitor infection rates and examine risk factors for transmission.

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Title: Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in previously undiagnosed health care workers in New Jersey, at the onset of the U.S. COVID-19 pandemic
Creators: Emily S Barrett - Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
Daniel B Horton - Rutgers Center for Pharmacoepidemiology and Treatment Science, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, Institute for Health, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
Jason Roy - Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Rutgers School of Public Health, Piscataway, NJ, USA
Maria Laura Gennaro - Department of Medicine, Public Health Research Institute, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA
Andrew Brooks - RUCDR Infinite Biologics and Human Genetics Institute of NJ and Department of Genetics, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
Jay Tischfield - RUCDR Infinite Biologics and Human Genetics Institute of NJ and Department of Genetics, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
Patricia Greenberg - Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Rutgers School of Public Health, Piscataway, NJ, USA
Tracy Andrews - Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Rutgers School of Public Health, Piscataway, NJ, USA
Sugeet Jagpal - Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, 125 Paterson Street, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 08901, USA
Nancy Reilly - Rutgers Institute for Translational Medicine & Science, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
Jeffrey L Carson - Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, 125 Paterson Street, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 08901, USA. jeffrey.carson@rutgers.edu
Martin J Blaser - Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
Reynold A Panettieri, Jr - Rutgers Institute for Translational Medicine & Science, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
Publication Details: BMC infectious diseases, Vol.20(1), pp.853-853
Date published: 11/16/2020
Grant note: UL1TR003017 NCATS / NIH Office of the Director K23 AR070286 / NIAMS NIH HHS K23AR070286 / NIAMS NIH HHS P30 ES005022 / NIEHS NIH HHS P30ES005022 / NIEHS NIH HHS R01HL149450 / NHLBI NIH HHS 3U01AI122285-05S1 / National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases U01 HL133817 / NHLBI NIH HHS U01HL133817 / NHLBI NIH HHS UH3AI122309 / National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases U01 AI122285 / NIAID NIH HHS UL1 TR003017 / NCATS NIH HHS
Academic Unit: Clinical and Translational Research; Public Health Research Institute; Epidemiology (SHP); Medicine - General Internal Medicine (RWJMS); Medicine - Pulmonary and Critical Care (RWJMS); Pediatrics - Rheumatology (RWJMS); Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article
Identifiers: 991031665379604646