SARS-CoV-2 infection among healthcare workers whom already received booster vaccination during epidemic outbreak of omicron variant in Taiwan

Background/Purpose: Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at risk of severe acute respi-ratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection due to occupational exposure. We aim to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of SARS-CoV-2 infection among HCWs during epidemic outbreak of omicron variant in Taiwan.Methods: Sequential reserved serum samples collected from our previous study during December 2021 and July 2022 were tested for antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid pro-tein (NP). Diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection was defined as positive either of anti-SARS-CoV-2 nucleoprotein, rapid antigen test or polymerase chain reaction. Retrospective chart review and a questionnaire were used to access the symptoms and risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Results: Totally 300 participants (69.3% female) with a median age of 37.9 years were enrolled. A significant increase incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection was found before and during community outbreak (11.91 versus 230.93 per 100,000 person-days, P < 0.001), which was a trend paralleling that observed in the general population. For 61 SARS-CoV-2 infected partic-ipants, nine (14.8%) were asymptomatic. Multivariate analysis revealed recent contact with a SARS-CoV-2 infected household (odds ratio [OR], 7.01; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 3.70 -13.30; P < 0.001) and co-existed underlying autoimmune diseases (OR, 4.46; 95% CI, 1.28 -15.51; P Z 0.019) were significant risk factors associated with acquisition of SARS-CoV-2 infection among HCWs.Conclusion: Community factors, such as closely contact with SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals and underlying immune suppression status, were significant factors for acquisition of SARS-CoV-2 infection among HCWs. We suggest the application of appropriate infection control mea-sures for HCWs should be maintained to reduce risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection.Copyright 2022, Formosan Medical Association. Published by Elsevier Taiwan LLC. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Automated summary

We aimed to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of SARS-CoV-2 infection among healthcare workers (HCWs) during the omicron variant outbreak in Taiwan. The study found that recent contact with a SARS-CoV-2 infected household and underlying autoimmune diseases were significant risk factors for acquiring SARS-CoV-2 infection among HCWs. It is recommended to maintain appropriate infection control measures to reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection among HCWs.