Risk Factors for Severe COVID-19 Among Health Care Workers

Abstract

Objective: Evaluate potential risk factors for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among health care workers (HCWs) at the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville, Virginia. Methods: We conducted a retrospective manual chart review of data from HCWs who were diagnosed with COVID-19 from March 2020 to March 2021. Using data from patient medical histories, we ascertained risk factors for COVID-19-related emergency department encounter, hospitalization, or death. Results: We had 634 patients in total, and 9.8% had a severe COVID-19-related outcome. A history of deep vein thrombosis/pulmonary embolism/stroke (odds ratio, 19.6; 95% confidence interval, 5.11 to 94.7), as well as asthma, chronic lung disease, diabetes, or current immunocompromised status, was associated with increased adjusted odds of COVID-19-related emergency department encounter/hospitalization/death. Conclusions: A preexisting history of deep vein thrombosis/pulmonary embolism/stroke is a novel risk factor for poor COVID-19 outcomes among a cohort of HCWs.