Sociodemographic Associations and COVID-19 Symptoms Following One Year of Molecular Screening for SARS-CoV-2 Among Healthcare Workers.

BACKGROUND

During the COVID-19 pandemic, high rates of infection with SARS-CoV-2 were reported in healthcare workers (HCWs), among whom asymptomatic individuals had high potential to spread the virus while assisting high-risk patients. This study conducted routine SARS-CoV-2 screening among the staff of a specialized cardiology hospital in Brazil during 2022 and 2023, while also evaluating variables associated with infection and the occurrence of symptoms.

METHODS

A prospective cohort study of 94 HCWs with biweekly RT-PCR screening was performed, employing RT-PCR from nasal swabs.

RESULTS

Participants aged 50.9 ± 10.2 years and were predominantly female (85.1%) and non-white (56.4%). The follow-up period was 576.4 ± 185.9 days, and most participants worked in the intensive care unit/emergency department (34%). Although the HCWs with the highest COVID-19 rates before inclusion were technicians/graduates (67.3%) and non-white individuals (57.7%), these groups presented lower infection rates at follow-up (p < 0.001, CI 95% 2.924-27.93; and p = 0.02, CI 95% 0.129-0.859, respectively). The number of asymptomatic cases increased during the study (p = 0.001), and simultaneous infection upsurges occurred in different hospital departments.

INTERPRETATION: These data highlight the association between educational level and the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in HCWs. The synchronicity of cases in different hospital departments offers insights about the nosocomial spread of SARS-CoV-2. The increase in the number of asymptomatic infections with repeated infections suggests that regular molecular screening may contribute to increasing the safety of both patients and HCWs in a pandemic context.