Outcomes of COVID-19 contact tracing in hospital healthcare workers: a retrospective cohort study

Authors

  • Seyfi Durmaz Department of Public Health, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9756-7764
  • Ece Fidan Kucuk Department of Public Health, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey
  • Sera Simsek Department of Public Health, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey
  • Kevser Durgun Department of Public Health, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey
  • Emine Bilge Karakas Department of Public Health, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey
  • Raika Durusoy Department of Public Health, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47391/JPMA.3615

Abstract

Objective: To determine risk-group-specific rate of becoming COVID-19-positive among healthcare workers having had contact with COVID-19 cases.

Methods: The retrospective cohort study was conducted at the Ege University Hospital, Bornova, Turkey, and comprised all healthcare workers who had come into contact with COVID-19 cases between March 11 and May 31, 2020. The contacts were classified as low-risk, medium-risk and high-risk using the guidelines of the Turkish Ministry of Health. The outcome measures were the incidence of infection among contacts and the incubation period and serial interval among the new cases. Data was analysed using SPSS 23.

Results: Of the 845 cases, 312(37%) had high risk, 263(31%) medium and 270(32%) low. Overall, there were 490(58%) females, 355(41%) males, 565(67%) aged <40 years, and 277(33%) aged >40 years. Of the total, 27(3.20%) healthcare workers tested COVID-19-positive and distribution among the risk-based groups was significant (p=0.037). There was a significantly increased risk of incidence among repeated contacts, no mask use, and the source being a colleague (p<0.05).

Conclusion: The detection of high-risk contacts was found to be important for controlling COVID-19 infection in a hospital setting.

Key Words: SARS-CoV-2, Healthcare workers, Contact tracing, Contact-based surveillance.

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Published

2022-04-05

How to Cite

Durmaz, S., Kucuk, E. F., Simsek, S., Durgun, K., Karakas, E. B., & Durusoy, R. (2022). Outcomes of COVID-19 contact tracing in hospital healthcare workers: a retrospective cohort study. Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association, 72(4), 707–713. https://doi.org/10.47391/JPMA.3615

Issue

Section

Research Article