RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 SARS-CoV-2 surveillance strategy in essential workers of the Madrid City Council during the first epidemic wave in Spain, March–July 2020
JF Occupational and Environmental Medicine
JO Occup Environ Med
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP oemed-2021-107654
DO 10.1136/oemed-2021-107654
A1 Mercedes Martínez-Cortés
A1 Carmen Maria León-Dominguez
A1 Jovita Fernandez-Pinero
A1 Mercedes Rodriguez
A1 Mercedes Almonacid
A1 Maria José Ferrari
A1 Rosario Romero
A1 Alfonso Antona
A1 M. Dolores Rivas
A1 Miguel de La Fuente
A1 Beatriz Pérez-Gómez
A1 Marina Pollán
YR 2021
UL http://oem.bmj.com/content/early/2021/10/01/oemed-2021-107654.abstract
AB Objectives To study prevalence of infection in essential workers of Madrid City Council by occupation, related characteristics, use of protective devices, risk perception, and main concerns about COVID-19 during lockdown.Methods A total of 30 231 workers were PCR tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Information was collected on COVID-19-related symptoms, risk factors, preventive equipment, and risk perception. The crude prevalence was calculated for infection, use of protective devices, perceived risk and main concerns. Additionally, adjusted prevalence and prevalence ratios (PR) were estimated for these variables using logistic regression models with age, gender, occupation, epidemiological week and laboratory as confounding factors.Results Overall prevalence of infection was 3.2% (95% CI 3.0% to 3.4%), being higher among policemen (4.4%) and bus drivers (4.2%), but lower among emergency healthcare personnel, firefighters, food market workers and burial services (<2%). Lower excess risk was observed in workers reporting occupational contact with COVID-19 cases only (PR=1.42; 95% CI 1.18 to 1.71) compared with household exposure only (PR=2.75; 95% CI 2.32 to 3.25). Infection was more frequent in symptomatic workers (PR=1.28; 95% CI 1.11 to 1.48), although 42% of detected infections were asymptomatic. Use of facial masks (78.7%) and disinfectants (86.3%) was common and associated with lower infection prevalence (PRmasks=0.68; 95% CI 0.58 to 0.79; PRdisinfectants=0.75; 95% CI 0.61 to 0.91). Over 50% of workers felt being at high risk of infection and worried about infecting others, yet only 2% considered quitting their work.Conclusions This surveillance system allowed for detecting and isolating SARS-CoV-2 cases among essential workers, identifying characteristics related to infection and use of protective devices, and revealing specific needs for work-safety information and psychological support.Data are available upon reasonable request.