Implementation of a COVID-19 surveillance programme for healthcare workers in a teaching hospital in an upper-middle-income country

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249394
• Publication Date: 2021-04-14T22:49:29Z
• Authors: Kim Sui Wan; Peter Seah Keng Tok; Kishwen Kanna Yog...; Nuraini Aziz; Marzuki Isahak; Rafdzah Ahmad Zaki; Nik Daliana Nik F...; Noran Naqiah Hairi; Sanjay Rampal; Chiu-Wan Ng; Mohd Fauzy Samsudin; Vinura Venugopal; Mohammad Asyraf; Narisa Hatun Dama...; Sanpagavalli Dora...; Catherine Thamara...; Thaneswaran Marth...; Fathhullah Azmie ...; Faiz Baharudin; Diane Woei Quan C...; Vivek Jason Jayaraj; Venna Magarita; Sasheela Ponnampa...; Nazirah Hasnan; Adeeba Kamarulzaman; Mas Ayu Said
• Keywords: Pandemic; Personal Protective Equipment

The reporting of Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19) mortality among healthcare workers highlights their vulnerability in managing the COVID-19 pandemic. Some low- and middle-income countries have highlighted challenges with testing, such as inadequate capacity, untrained laboratory personnel, funding. This article describes components implementation a worker surveillance programme designated teaching hospital Malaysia. In addition, distribution characteristics placed under are described.A was implemented University Malaya Medical Centre. involved four teams: contact tracing, risk assessment, outbreak investigation. Daily symptom conducted over fourteen days for who were assessed to low-, moderate- high-risk contracting COVID-19. A cross-sectional analysis data collected 24 weeks, from 6th March 2020 20th August 2020.A total 1,174 surveillance. majority females (71.6%), aged between 25 34 years old (64.7%), nursing staff (46.9%) had no comorbidities (88.8%). 70.9% categorised low-risk, 25.7% moderate-risk, 3.4% at high One-third (35.2%) symptomatic, sore throat (23.6%), cough (19.8%) fever (5.0%) being most commonly reported symptoms. 17 tested positive COVID-19, prevalence 0.3% all workers. Risk category presence symptoms associated test (p<0.001). Fever (p<0.001), (p = 0.003), shortness breath 0.015) 0.002) case positivity.COVID-19 risk-based assessment merits be included safeguard health workforce.