Characteristics and Transmission Dynamics of COVID-19 in Healthcare Workers in a Pediatric COVID-Care Hospital in Mumbai

Pandrowala, Ambreen; Shaikh, Shaheen; Balsekar, Mahesh; Kirolkar, Suverna; Udani, Soonu

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate if Healthcare workers (HCWs) at the frontline of COVID-19 response in a pediatric hospital are at an increased risk of acquiring SARS-CoV-2. METHODS: The Hospital Infection Control Committee (HICC) and virology testing records were combined to identify SARS-CoV-2 positive HCWs and study the transmission dynamics of COVID-19 over 6 months. RESULTS: COVID-19 cases in our HCWs cohort rose and declined parallel to community cases. Forty two out of 534 HCWs (8%) were SARS-CoV-2 positive with no fatalities. No clinical staff in the special COVID ward or ICU was positive. Significant proportion of non-clinical staff (30%) were SARS-CoV-2 positive. About 70% of SARS-CoV-2 positive staff had likely community acquisition, with a significant proportion having travelled by public transport or having a contact history with a positive case in the community. Twenty four percent of positive staff were asymptomatic and detected positive on re-joining test. CONCLUSIONS: Sustained transmission of SARS-CoV-2 did not occur in our cohort beyond community transmission. Appropriate PPE use, strict and constantly improving infection control measures and testing of both clinical and non-clinical staff were essential methods for restricting transmission amongst HCWs.