SARS-CoV-2 AMONG FRONT LINE HEALTH CARE WORKERS: SARS-CoV-2 & HEALTH CARE WORKERS

Syed Waqar Abbas; Shoaib Ahmed; Syeda Fatimah Zareen; Sadia Fatima; Nusrat Rehan; Wajid Hussain

doi:10.51253/pafmj.v70i6.4784

Authors

Syed Waqar Abbas Combined Military Hospital/National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS) Rawalpindi Pakistan
Shoaib Ahmed Combined Military Hospital/National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS) Rawalpindi Pakistan
Syeda Fatimah Zareen Combined Military Hospital/National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS) Rawalpindi Pakistan
Sadia Fatima Combined Military Hospital/National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS) Rawalpindi Pakistan
Nusrat Rehan Combined Military Hospital/National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS) Rawalpindi Pakistan
Wajid Hussain Armed Forces Institute of Pathology/National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS) Rawalpindi Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51253/pafmj.v70i6.4784

Keywords:

COVID-19, Health care workers (HCWs), Nasopharyngeal, Oropharyngeal swab, Polymerase chain reaction, PCR

Abstract

Objective: To determine clinical presentations and source among severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 positive health care workers of tertiary care hospital.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study.

Place and Duration of Study: Combined Military Hospital Rawalpindi, from Mar to Jun 2020.

Methodology: A cross sectional study was conducted by using a questionnaire for risk assessment regarding
exposure to Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) virus and practices of participants. Health care workers who
were exposed or had fever, cough, shortness of breath, were asked to undergo semi-quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction test for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus 2 on
nasopharyngeal and oro-pharyngeal swabs.

Results: Out of the 92 health care workers who tested positive, 80/92 (86.95%) were males, 12/92 (13.04%)
females. Asymptomatic cases were 53/92 (57.60%) and 39/92 (42.40%) were symptomatic, 10/92 (10.8%) of the
participants were doctors, 06/92 (6.52%) nurses, 36/92 (39.14%) paramedics and 40/92 (43.47%) were hospital
auxiliary staff. Among symptomatic cases, 28/39 (71.79%) developed fever with myalgia, 22/39 fever alone,
23/39 (58.97%) headache, 13/39 (33%) sore throat, 15/39 (38%) runny nose, 11/39 (28.20%) mild shortness of
breath on exertion, 7/39 (17.94%) diarrhea and 5/39 (12.82%) experienced loss of taste.

Conclusion: As the Corona Virus Disease 2019 pandemic continues, chances of health care workers getting
infected are high so it is critical to improve the knowledge of Health care workers. Educational interventions and further studies are warranted in this regard.