Bengaluru: Hospitals are not episentres of transmission and health workers Covid-19 raises a risk of infection greater than the general population, said a study conducted by Bangalore Baptist Hospital and published recently in the Journal of Indian Medical Microbiology.
According to research, high virus exposure is not translated into increased transmission in the presence of infection control practices that are adequate and rational.
Prevalence of Sero Covid-19 among health care workers at the Tertiary Care Hospital is comparable to the general population at the beginning and end of the pandemic phase in 2020, even with a high exposure to the virus.
Practical and inclusive infection control policies have proven to be profitable during this pandemic, the word research, which concludes that hospitals do not have extra risk.
Sero sero serio epidemiological survey is carried out among health workers from a 340-bed tertiary care hospital.
Healthy workers and negatively tested for SARS COV2 in the past were tested for Covid antibodies in two phases (May-June 2020 and September-November 2020).
Those who have tested positively removed from research.
The first phase has 211 health workers and the second phase of 206.
The average age is 35, and 123 staff are part of the two surveys.
None of the 211 participants showed antibodies in the first phase.
“Our results are similar to the ICMR report the National Sero prevalence of 0.7% during May-June 2020 and 0.5% among the general population in Bengaluru Urban Regency.
All of these reports imply low exposure to Covid-19 during May-June 2020, and Health service workers have the same risk or may be lower than the community, “the researchers said.
Phase 2 studies showed sero prevalence of 9.2% in the cohort studied.
During the same time, the national sero prevalence was 18.8%, according to ICMR research.
The Karnataka Government study released in 2021 placed the prevalence of Sero among the general population of Bengaluru Urban at 22% in August-September 2020.
“This clearly shows an increase in exposure to Covid-19 compared to the previous months.
Sero prevalence among the workers Health is almost half of the general population (9.2% vs 18.8%), “said Dr.
Carolin Elizabeth George, Head, Community Health and Research Division, Bangka Baptist Hospital, who studied the study.
The researchers said that in hospitals with 1,377 staff, a total of 238 was tested positive for Covid until November 2020 and not included in the survey.
“When we enter the rate of infection of 17.3% among our staff, it is estimated that 26.5% of hospital health workers have evidence of active or recent Covid-19 infection.
This is lower than the 27.3% prevalence of Sero.
It is estimated among the general population by the Government of Karnataka, “Dr.
George said.
The researchers said that the overall infection rate of 1.6% in hospitals was lower than 2.8% of the country during the study period.
Apart from Dr.
George, Dr.
Sindhulina Chandrasingh and Dr.
Leeberk King Inbaraj are also part of this study.