TY - JOUR
T1 - Characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 Seropositivity among Emergency Department Healthcare Workers at a Tertiary Care Center in Baltimore
AU - Russell, Anna
AU - Hsu, Edbert B.
AU - Fenstermacher, Katherine Z.J.
AU - Ricketts, Erin P.
AU - Dashler, Gabriella
AU - Chen, Allison
AU - Shaw-Saliba, Kathryn
AU - Caturegli, Patrizio P.
AU - Pekosz, Andrew
AU - Rothman, Richard E.
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding: This research was funded by an award from the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 Research Response Program, and supported, in part, by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (contract HHSN272201400007C) awarded to the Johns Hopkins Center of Excellence in Influenza Research and Surveillance (JHCEIRs).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
PY - 2022/3
Y1 - 2022/3
N2 - Early in the COVID-19 pandemic (March–July 2020 in Baltimore), emergency department (ED) healthcare workers (HCWs) were considered to be at greater risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2. Limited data existed, however, on the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection and its impact in this workforce population. We enrolled 191 ED HCWs from a tertiary academic center, administered baseline and weekly surveys, and tested them twice (July and December 2020) for serum antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Approximately 6% (11 of 191, 5.8%) of ED HCWs had spike antibodies in July, a prevalence that doubled by December (21 of 174, 12.1%). A positive PCR test was self-reported by 15 of 21 (71%) seropositive and 6 of 153 (4%) seronegative HCWs (p < 0.001). Of the total 27 HCWs who had antibodies and/or were PCR positive, none required hospitalization, 18 (67%) had a self-perceived COVID-19 illness, and 12 of the 18 reported symptoms. The median number of missed workdays was 8.5 (ranging from 2 to 21). While most seropositive ED HCWs who reported symptoms took work absences, none required hospitalization, indicating that COVID-19’s impact on staffing prior to vaccination was not as great as feared.
AB - Early in the COVID-19 pandemic (March–July 2020 in Baltimore), emergency department (ED) healthcare workers (HCWs) were considered to be at greater risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2. Limited data existed, however, on the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection and its impact in this workforce population. We enrolled 191 ED HCWs from a tertiary academic center, administered baseline and weekly surveys, and tested them twice (July and December 2020) for serum antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Approximately 6% (11 of 191, 5.8%) of ED HCWs had spike antibodies in July, a prevalence that doubled by December (21 of 174, 12.1%). A positive PCR test was self-reported by 15 of 21 (71%) seropositive and 6 of 153 (4%) seronegative HCWs (p < 0.001). Of the total 27 HCWs who had antibodies and/or were PCR positive, none required hospitalization, 18 (67%) had a self-perceived COVID-19 illness, and 12 of the 18 reported symptoms. The median number of missed workdays was 8.5 (ranging from 2 to 21). While most seropositive ED HCWs who reported symptoms took work absences, none required hospitalization, indicating that COVID-19’s impact on staffing prior to vaccination was not as great as feared.
KW - SARS-CoV-2
KW - emergency department
KW - healthcare workers
KW - seroprevalence
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U2 - 10.3390/healthcare10030576
DO - 10.3390/healthcare10030576
M3 - Article
C2 - 35327055
AN - SCOPUS:85127513058
SN - 2227-9032
VL - 10
JO - Healthcare (Switzerland)
JF - Healthcare (Switzerland)
IS - 3
M1 - 576
ER -