Despite adequate personal protective equipment (PPE), frontline healthcare workers face a three-fold increased risk of a positive SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) test, compared to the general population, researchers have warned as they called for additional safety measures to protect the frontline warriors.
The researchers in their study published in The Lancet Public Health recommended additional strategies such as ensuring correct application and removal of PPE and avoiding reuse which was associated with increased risk.
Those with inadequate PPE has a further increase in risk, they said. The observation holds importance in the context of India where many health workers continue to complain of shortage of PPEs and its reuse . For instance, in Pune, more than 150 nurses at the premier Jehangir Hospital went on strike complainingof poor salary and 12-hour work shifts in PPE kits leading to severe dehydration. In Karnataka too, ASHA workers under the All India Trade Union held protest early July seeking PPE kits and timely release of salary.
The international study also found that healthcare workers from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds were more likely to test positive.
Using the COVID Symptom Tracker App, researchers from King’s College London and Harvard looked at data from 2,035,395 individuals and 99,795 front-line health-care workers in the UK and US. The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 was 2747 cases per 100,000 front-line health-care workers compared with 242 cases per 100,000 people in the general community.
A little over 20 percent of front-line health-care workers reported at least one symptom associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection compared with 14.4 percent of the general population; fatigue, loss of smell or taste, and hoarse voice were especially frequent. BAME health-care workers were at an especially high risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, with at least a fivefold increased risk of infection compared with the non-Hispanic white general community.
Professor Sebastien Ourselin, senior author from King’s College London said: “The findings of our study have tremendous impact for healthcare workers and hospitals. The data is clear in revealing that there is still an elevated risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection despite availability of PPE.
Joint first author Dr Mark Graham from King’s College London said: “The work is important in the context of the widely reported higher death rates amongst healthcare workers from BAME backgrounds. Hopefully a better understanding of the factors contributing to these disparities will inform efforts to better protect workers.”
“Additional protective strategies are equally as important, such as implementing social distancing among healthcare staff. Stricter protocols for socialising among healthcare staff also need to be considered,” said Dr Claire Steves, lead clinical researcher from King’s College London.