COVID-19 outcomes in hospitalized healthcare workers

Editor's Note

In this study, US and Canadian researchers find that healthcare workers (HCWs) hospitalized with COVID-19 do not have poorer outcomes than non-HCWs, even though they are at higher risk of acquiring the disease.

Included in the analysis were 1,790 patients (127 HCWs and 1,663 non-HCWs). After 3:1 propensity score matching, 122 HCWs were matched to 366 non-HCWs.

In the matched cohort:

• there were no differences between HCWs and non-HCWs in terms of mechanical ventilation, death, or vasopressor requirements
• HCWs were less likely to require admission to an ICU and also were less likely to require a stay 7 days or longer in a hospital.

Further research is needed to find the proportion of HCW infection acquired in the workplace and to assess whether HCW type is linked to outcomes, the researchers say.