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Factors Associated with SARS-CoV-2 Infection before Vaccination among European Health Care Workers

Authors

  • Ihab Mansour Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
  • Alessandro Godono Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
  • Emanuele Sansone Unit of Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
  • Giovanni Visci Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
  • Gianluca Spiteri Clinical Unit of Occupational Medicine, University Hospital of Verona, Verona, Italy
  • Maria Grazia Lourdes Monaco Clinical Unit of Occupational Medicine, University Hospital of Verona, Verona, Italy
  • Dana Mates National Institute of Public Health, Bucharest, Romania
  • Agripina Rascu University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Carola Davila”, Bucharest, Romania
  • Xavier Duval Inserm CIC 1425, IAME, Bichat Claude Bernard hospital, Paris, France
  • Enrico Pira Department of Public Health and Pediatric Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
  • Catalina Ciocan Department of Public Health and Pediatric Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
  • Francesco Violante Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy; Occupational Health Unit, Sant’Orsola University Hospital, Bologna, Italy
  • Vittorio Lodi Occupational Health Unit, Sant’Orsola University Hospital, Bologna, Italy
  • Giuseppe De Palma Unit of Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
  • Emma Sala ASST Spedali Civili di Brescia, Italy
  • Marco Dell'Olmo Unit of Occupational Medicine, University of Trieste, Italy
  • Corrado Negro Unit of Occupational Medicine, University of Trieste, Italy
  • Loretta Casolari Health Surveillance Service, University Hospital of Modena
  • Masha Abedini Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
  • Giorgia Ditano Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
  • Shuffield Asafo Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
  • Orchestra Wp5 Working Group Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
  • Paolo Boffetta Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy; Stony Brook Cancer Center, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, US

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.23749/mdl.v114i3.14422

Keywords:

COVID-19, determinants, HCWs, meta-analyses, multicentric, FFP2, mask

Abstract

Background: Health care workers (HCWs) were on the frontline of the current pandemic. We aimed at identifying determinants of SARS-CoV-2 infection and the effectiveness of personal protection equipment (PPE) worn by HCWs before vaccination. Methods: We abstracted data on SARS-CoV-2 infection based on positive PCR results and sociodemographic characteristics of 38,793 HCWs from public hospitals and public health authorities from 10 European centers. We fitted cohort-specific multivariate logistic regression models to identify determinants of infection and combined the results using random-effects meta-analyses. Results: The overall prevalence of infection before vaccination among HCWs was 9.58%. Infection was associated with the presence of selected symptoms; no association was found between sociodemographic factors and increased risk of infection. The use of PPE and particularly FFP2/FFP3 masks had a different protective effect during the first and second waves of the COVID pandemic. Conclusions: The study provides evidence that mask use was the most effective PPE in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection among HCWs.

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Vol. 114 No. 3 (2023)

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Original articles

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