Characteristics of FHWs for COVID-19 control (n=20)
| Characteristic | No (n=20) | % |
| Sex | ||
| Male | 15 | 75 |
| Female* | 5 | 25 |
| Current affiliation | ||
| Health centre† | 2 | 10 |
| Gyeonggi province office | 13 | 65 |
| Gyeonggi Infectious Disease Control Center | 5 | 25 |
| Type of occupation | ||
| Epidemiologists | 5 | 25 |
| Public health doctor | 15 | 75 |
| Type of medical license | ||
| Nursing | 2 | 10 |
| Dentistry | 1 | 5 |
| Medical doctor | 2 | 10 |
| Korean medical doctor‡ | 12 | 60 |
| None | 3 | 15 |
| Months of work experience as FHW | ||
| 0–2 | 1 | 5 |
| 2–4 | 2 | 10 |
| 4–6 | 1 | 5 |
| 6–8 | 9 | 45 |
| >8 | 7 | 35 |
| Average hours of work per day§ | ||
| <8 | 1 | 5 |
| 8–10 | 5 | 25 |
| 10–12 | 6 | 30 |
| 12–14 | 5 | 25 |
| 14–16 | 1 | 5 |
| >16 | 2 | 10 |
| Average hours of rest per day¶ | ||
| 0 | 2 | 10 |
| 1 | 9 | 45 |
| 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 3 | 6 | 30 |
| N/A | 1 | 5 |
*In 2019, approximately 26% and 22% were females among licensed physicians and Korean medical doctors, respectively.40
†Two public health doctors reported their affiliation as a health centre. This may be because they are conducting investigations at the community health centre or they were previously affiliated with the health centre before the pandemic.
‡Individuals with Korean medical licence practice traditional Korean medicine, including herbal medicine and acupuncture.
§According to the labour law, healthcare workers must work up to 9 hours a day but can work longer under special circumstances.
¶Few hours of rest may indicate participants’ standby status after leaving work.
FHW, front-line health worker; N/A, not available.