Infected health care workers make up 6% of COVID-19 hospitalizations, CDC says
Health care personnel made up around 6% of adults hospitalized with COVID-19 at 13 sites, according to a new analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC analyzed hospital data taken from March 1 to May 31 of 28,972 adults hospitalized with COVID-19. Of those people, 438 were health care workers, including 36% who were in nursing and 73% who were obese. Around 28% were admitted to the intensive care unit, 16% needed to be on a ventilator and 4% died.
Health care personnel were most likely to report obesity as an underlying condition followed by hypertension and diabetes. Those who have less direct contact with patients had higher incidences of obesity and cardiovascular disease.
Health care workers hospitalized with COVID-19 had a median age of 49, with 52% of them Black and 72% of them female.
Health care workers “can have severe COVID-19–associated illness, highlighting the need for continued infection prevention and control in health care settings,” the CDC wrote.
Because of their contact with people possibly infected or confirmed with COVID-19, health care personnel are recommended by the CDC to take certain precautions.
For health care workers who have had “prolonged close contact” with someone confirmed to have COVID-19, the CDC recommends:
Staying away from work for 14 days after being exposed
Advising health care personnel to monitor themselves for COVID-19 symptoms
Getting tested and evaluated if a fever or COVID-19 symptoms develop
“Prolonged close contact” is defined by the CDC as being within anyone with COVID-19 for at least 15 minutes within a 24-hour period. That could include separate periods of exposure that combine to be 15 minutes or more.
The virus mainly spreads from person-to-person contact and the CDC recommends avoiding close contact with others, washing your hands, covering your face with a mask and covering sneezes and coughs in order to prevent transmission of COVID-19.
