Prevalence of COVID-19 testing among health workers providing care for suspected and confirmed cases

Gallasch, Cristiane Helena; da Silva, Renata Flavia Abreu; Faria, Magda Guimarães de Araujo; Lourenção, Daniela Campos de Andrade; Pires, Mateus Portilho; Almeida, Mirian Cristina dos Santos; Baptista, Patrícia Campos Pavan; da Silva, Silmar Maria; Mininel, Vivian Aline; Silva-Junior, João Silvestre

OBJECTIVES: To describe the prevalence of testing among health workers providing care for suspected and confirmed cases of COVID-19. METHODS: This quantitative, cross-sectional study was conducted from April to June 2020, using a convenience sample. An online questionnaire was used for collecting sociodemographic, occupational, and clinical data, which were analyzed descriptively. RESULTS: In total, 437 health workers participated in the study, with a predominance of nursing workers (58.68%), women (70.3%), age between 30 and 49 years (54.2%), individuals living in the Southeast region of Brazil (60.54%), working in the public care system (69.11%), and focused on primary care (30.89%). Among the participants, 36% reported comorbidities, 21.1% had symptoms suggestive of COVID-19, and only 27% had undergone some type of COVID-19 testing. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the existence of risk comorbidities and symptoms suggestive of contamination, the frequency of testing was below one third among respondents. The lack of action compromises health surveillance and protection strategies for workers providing care for the population and may favor the contamination of new patients and the community.