OCCUPATIONAL INCIDENCE OF COVID-19 IN HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11603/1681-2727.2021.4.12835Keywords:
COVID-19, occupational diseases, medical workersAbstract
The aim of the work is to analyze medical and statistical data on acute occupational diseases of COVID-19 among health care workers of Ternopil region.
Materials and methods. 122 cases of acute occupational infection of COVID-19 in medical workers in Ternopil region were investigated (as of February 25, 2021). Investigation and accounting of occupational diseases was carried out in accordance with the order of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine of Fabruary 25, 2020 No. 521 “On Amendments to the List of Particularly Dangerous, Dangerous Infectious and Parasitic Human Diseases and Carriers of These Diseases” and Instruction No. 374 “On application of the list of occupational diseases”, approved by a joint order of the Ministry of Health, the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, the Ministry of Labor of December 29, 2000 No. 374/68/33.
Results and Discussion. Among medical workers, 107 (87.7 %) were treated under the supervision of a family doctor, on an outpatient basis, and 15 (12.3 %) – in hospital. Patients began to receive treatment (outpatient or inpatient) at different times of the disease – from the 1st to the 14th day. Among those hospitalized in the first two days, pneumonia was detected in 4 of 73, among those hospitalized later – in 8 of 49, p<0.001. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected by PCR on average on (2.89±1.04) day of the disease, while a negative test was noted on (14.40±0.53) day. The average duration of treatment was (19.82±0.67) days. The State Labor Commission concluded that 2 (1.6 %) people had acute occupational disease due to their own negligence, 23 (18.9 %) were likely to have ineffective personal protective equipment, and 25 (20.5 %) violated job descriptions, negligence regarding personal safety – in 75 (59.0 %). Of the 17 deaths among COVID-19 health workers, only 7 confirmed an occupational disease.
Conclusions. The highest number of reports of acute occupational disease COVID-19 came from junior medical staff – 69.7 %, among physicians most often sick anesthesiologists (p <0.001). Among the causes of infection of health care workers are their carelessness in providing professional services (1.6 % of people), probable ineffectiveness of personal protective equipment (18.9 %), violation of job descriptions – (20.5 %), negligence of personal security (59.0 %). The large number of documents required for examination complicates the procedure for confirming acute occupational disease with COVID-19 in healthcare professionals.
References
Ren, L.L., Wang, Y.M., Wu, Z.Q., Xiang, Z.C., Guo, L., Xu, T., ... & Wang, J.W. (2020). Identification of a novel coronavirus causing severe pneumonia in human: a descriptive study. Chinese Medical Journal, 133 (9), 1015.
Operative information on the receipt of reports about acute professional diseases on COVID-19 during implementation of position requirements. (2021). http://www.moz.gov.ua. Retrieved from: https://dsp.gov.ua/operativna-informacia-covid19/
(2020). Order of Ministry of Health of Ukraine of February 25, 2020 No. 521 «About making alteration to List of especially dangerous infectious and parasitogenic diseases of an carrier of causative agents of these illnesses». Retrieved from: http://www.moz.gov.ua. Retrieved from: https://moz.gov.ua/article/ministry-mandates/nakaz-moz-ukraini-vid-25022020--521-pro-vnesennja-zmini-do-pereliku-osoblivo-nebezpechnih-nebezpechnih-infekcijnih-ta-parazitarnih-hvorob-ljudini-i-nosijstva-zbudnikiv-cih-hvorob [in Ukrainian].
(2020). An order of Ministry of Health of Ukraine of July 15, 2020 No. 1604 «About claim of List of positions of medical and other workers, that directly busy in liquidation epidemics and realization of measures from prevention of distribution of sharp respiratory illness of COVID-19, caused by a coronaviruses SARS-CoV 2, and treatment of patients with the cases of acute respiratory illness of COVID-19, caused by a coronaviruses SARS-CoV-2». Retrieved from: http://www.moz.gov.ua. Retrieved from: https://moz.gov.ua/article/ministry-mandates/nakaz-moz-ukraini-vid-15072020-1604-pro-zatverdzhennja-pereliku-posad-medichnih-ta-inshih-pracivnikiv-scho-bezposeredno-zajnjati-u-likvidacii-epidemii-ta-zdijsnenni-zahodiv-iz-zapobigannja-poshirennju-gostroi-respiratornoi-hvorobi-covid-19 [in Ukrainian].
(2020). Resolution of Cabinet of Ministers of May 13, 2020 No. 394 «About making alteration to the list of professional diseases». http://www.zakon.rada.gov.ua. Retrieved from: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/394-2020-%D0%BF#Text.
Nagorna, A.M., Varyvonchyk, D.V., Khaarchuk, L.V., Medvedovska, N.V., Kononova, I.G., & Gvozdeczkyj, V.A. (2021). Organization of investigation and conformities to law of acute professional disease of Covid-19 for the workers of industry of health protection of Ukraine (first year pandemics: 2020-2021). Infectsiini khvoroby – Infectious Diseases, 2, 17-28. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.11603/1681-2727.2021.2.12160 [In Ukrainian].
(2020). Order of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine of March 13, 2020 No. 663 «On optimization of measures to prevent the introduction and spread of COVID-19 cases on the territory of Ukraine». http://www.moz.gov.ua. Retrieved from: https://moz.gov.ua/article/ministry-mandates/nakaz-moz-ukraini-vid-13032020--663-pro-optimizaciju-zahodiv-schodo-nedopuschennja-zanesennja-i-poshirennja-na-teritorii-ukraini-vipadkiv-covid-19.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2022 Infectious Diseases
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Journal Infectious Disease (Infektsiini Khvoroby) allows the author(s) to hold the copyright without registration
Users can use, reuse and build upon the material published in the journal but only for non-commercial purposes
This journal is available through Creative Commons (CC) License BY-NC "Attribution-NonCommercial" 4.0
