Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in employees of a general hospital in Northrhine-Westphalia, Germany

Abstract

Background We assessed the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in the staff of a general hospital in North-Rhine-Westphalia in a cross-sectional study. Method Employees (n=1363) were offered a nasopharyngeal swab and serology for SARS-CoV-2. Additionally, employees completed a questionnaire about preexisting conditions, contacts with SARS-CoV-2-positive individuals and COVID-19-specific symptoms. Results 1212 employees participated. 19 of 1363 (1.4%) employees tested positive by PCR (3 within and 16 before the study). 40 (3.3%) and 105 (8.6%) had IgG and IgA, respectively, 32 (2.6%) both IgG and IgA. Overall, 47 employees tested positive. In this group, most frequently reported symptoms were headache (56%), fatigue (49%), sore throat (49%), and cough (46%); fever was reported by 33%. SARS-CoV-2-positive employees reported more frequently contact with COVID-19 cases (60.5% vs. 37.3%, p=0.006). Employees testing positive only for IgA reported less symptoms. Conclusion Between 27.04. and 20.05.2020, 3.9% of the employees working in a general hospital were tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. This proportion was lower than expected; possible explanations are the low level of endemic infection and the extensive, uniform in-house preventative measures.