Characterizing COVID-19 transmission risk factors among frontline health-care workers using the WHO risk assessment tool: insights from a tertiary care center in South India (ORIGINAL ARTICLE)
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Title
Characterizing COVID-19 transmission risk factors among frontline health-care workers using the WHO risk assessment tool: insights from a tertiary care center in South India (ORIGINAL ARTICLE)
Subject
COVID, frontline health-care worker, South India
Description
Background: The objective of this study was to assess the exposure risk factors for transmission of and subsequent infection caused by Severe
Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (COVID-19) among the frontline health-care workers (HCWs) in a South Indian tertiary care center
during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: This retrospective, observational study was conducted over a period of 6 months, from June 2020 to November 2020. Participants
included HCWs who completed a risk assessment to identify encounters with COVID-19-positive individuals using a modified World Health
Organization COVID-19 risk assessment tool.
Results: A total of 4744 HCWs who had exposure to COVID-19-positive individuals were assessed during the study period. There were 942
(19.8%) participants identified as having had high-risk exposure and 3802 (80.2%) identified as having had low-risk exposure. There were 106
(2.2%) participants who became infected with COVID-19 during the surveillance period of 14 days; 4.8% of high risk and 1.5% of low risk tested
positive. Among the HCWs working in high-risk COVID-19 areas, only one HCW had contracted the illness (N = 1, 0.9%). Shared spaces (70%)
and infection protection and control breaches (66%) were found to be highly prevalent modes of exposure in the COVID-19-positive cohort. The
attack rate among COVID-19 cluster groups (two or more confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19 who are linked by the same location of
exposure) (5.5%) was higher than the attack rate (2.2%) noted among the total contacts screened, and no significant association was observed
between risk categories in the clustered groups.
Conclusion: This study highlights higher risk of COVID-19 positivity among high-risk contacts as compared to low-risk contacts.
Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (COVID-19) among the frontline health-care workers (HCWs) in a South Indian tertiary care center
during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: This retrospective, observational study was conducted over a period of 6 months, from June 2020 to November 2020. Participants
included HCWs who completed a risk assessment to identify encounters with COVID-19-positive individuals using a modified World Health
Organization COVID-19 risk assessment tool.
Results: A total of 4744 HCWs who had exposure to COVID-19-positive individuals were assessed during the study period. There were 942
(19.8%) participants identified as having had high-risk exposure and 3802 (80.2%) identified as having had low-risk exposure. There were 106
(2.2%) participants who became infected with COVID-19 during the surveillance period of 14 days; 4.8% of high risk and 1.5% of low risk tested
positive. Among the HCWs working in high-risk COVID-19 areas, only one HCW had contracted the illness (N = 1, 0.9%). Shared spaces (70%)
and infection protection and control breaches (66%) were found to be highly prevalent modes of exposure in the COVID-19-positive cohort. The
attack rate among COVID-19 cluster groups (two or more confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19 who are linked by the same location of
exposure) (5.5%) was higher than the attack rate (2.2%) noted among the total contacts screened, and no significant association was observed
between risk categories in the clustered groups.
Conclusion: This study highlights higher risk of COVID-19 positivity among high-risk contacts as compared to low-risk contacts.
Creator
Melin Moni, Kiran G. Kulirankal, Preetha Prasanna, Ann Mary, Elizabeth MaryThomas, R. Sreelakshmi, Rejitha P. Sundaram, Binil Babu, Veena Bindu, Fabia Edathadathil, Sai Bala Madathil, K. V. Beena, and Dipu T. Sathyapalan
Source
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1093/ijcoms/lyad006
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Date
3 June 2023
Contributor
Sri Wahyuni
Format
PDF
Language
English
Type
Text
Files
Collection
Citation
Melin Moni, Kiran G. Kulirankal, Preetha Prasanna, Ann Mary, Elizabeth MaryThomas, R. Sreelakshmi, Rejitha P. Sundaram, Binil Babu, Veena Bindu, Fabia Edathadathil, Sai Bala Madathil, K. V. Beena, and Dipu T. Sathyapalan, “Characterizing COVID-19 transmission risk factors among frontline health-care workers using the WHO risk assessment tool: insights from a tertiary care center in South India (ORIGINAL ARTICLE),” Repository Horizon University Indonesia, accessed February 21, 2026, https://repository.horizon.ac.id/items/show/11196.