COVID-19 prevalence among healthcare workers in Jakarta and neighbouring areas in Indonesia during early 2020 pandemic.
Ann Med
; 53(1): 1896-1904, 2021 12.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1517683
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The COVID-19 disease has overwhelmed and disrupted healthcare services worldwide, particularly healthcare workers (HCW). HCW are essential workers performing any job in a healthcare setting who are potentially directly or indirectly exposed to infectious materials. Our retrospective cohort study aimed to determine the prevalence of COVID-19 infections among HCW in Jakarta and neighbouring areas during the first three months of the pandemic.METHODS:
Nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal swab specimens from HCW working at private and public hospitals in Jakarta and neighbouring areas were screened for SARS-CoV-2 between March and May 2020. Data on demography, clinical symptoms, contact history, and personal protective equipment (PPE) use were collected using standardised forms.RESULTS:
Among 1201 specimens, 7.9% were confirmed positive for SARS-CoV-2 with the majority coming from medical doctors (48.4%) and nurses (44.2%). 64.2% of the positive cases reported to have contact with suspect/confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 32 (52.2%) with patient and 3 (6.6%) with co-worker. The symptomatic HCW had a significantly lower median Ct value as compared to their asymptomatic counterpart (p < .001). Tendency to have a higher prevalence of pneumonia was observed in the age group of 40 - 49 and ≥50 years old.CONCLUSION:
Our findings highlighted the necessity to implement proper preventive and surveillance strategies for this high-risk population including adherence to strict PPE protocol and appropriate training.Key MessageHealthcare workers (HCW), defined as those handling any job in a healthcare setting, are at the frontline of risk of infection as SARS-CoV-2 is easily transmitted through airborne droplets and direct contact with contaminated surfaces. The aim of our study is to attain a more comprehensive and accurate picture of the impact of COVID-19 on HCW during the earlier phase of the outbreak in Indonesia to develop effective strategies that protect the health and safety of this workforce. Our findings highlighted that COVID-19 infections in HCW were mostly acquired in healthcare settings, with significant consequences of pneumonia and hospitalisation occurring across all age groups.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Health Personnel
/
Pandemics
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Cohort study
/
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Adult
/
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Country/Region as subject:
Asia
Language:
English
Journal:
Ann Med
Journal subject:
Medicine
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
07853890.2021.1975309
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