Covid‐19 among healthcare workers: A prospective serological‐epidemiological cohort study in a standard care hospital in rural germany

Abstract

Healthcare workers (HCW) play a vital role in the SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic control. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of SARS‐CoV‐2 antibodies and the risk of COVID‐19 infections in a cohort of HCW from four different risk groups (from intensive care unit to administration) of a hospital of a primary care level in rural Germany. The outcomes were monthly measures of antibody seroprevalence over a period of 6 months. Overall, a seroprevalence of 13.41% was determined, with significantly higher prevalence rates among HCW working in areas with more frequent contact to confirmed or suspected cases (30.30%, p = 0.003). The group specific differences in the risk of infection from COVID‐19 were detected, as HCW groups with frequent exposure seemed to have an increased risk (RR = 3.18, p = 0.02; CI95 1.09–9.24). The findings contribute to the epidemiological understanding of the virus spread in an unvaccinated population group, which is highly relevant for the pandemic management.