Immune response to SARS-CoV-2 in health care workers following a COVID-19 outbreak: A prospective longitudinal study

BACKGROUND Health care workers (HCWs) have been working in the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic with high risks of viral exposure, infection, and transmission. Standard COVID-19 testing is insufficient to protect HCWs from these risks and prevent the spread of disease. Continuous monitoring of physiological data with wearable sensors, self-monitoring of symptoms, and asymptomatic COVID testing may aid in the early detection of COVID-19 in HCWs and may help reduce further transmission among HCWs, patients, and families. OBJECTIVE By using wearable sensors, smartphone-based symptom logging, and biospecimens, this project aimed to assist HCWs in self-monitoring of COVID-19. METHODS We conducted a prospective, longitudinal study of HCWs at a single institution. Study duration was one year, wherein participants were instructed on the continuous use of two wearable sensors (Fitbit Charge 3 smartwatch and TempTraq temperature patches) for up to 30-days. Participants consented to providing biospecimens (e.g., nasal swabs, saliva swabs, blood) for up to one year from study entry. Using a smartphone app called Roadmap 2.0, participants entered a daily mood score, submitted daily COVID-19 symptoms, and completed demographic and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) surveys at study entry and 30 days later. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were also conducted at the end of the 30-day period, following completion of daily mood and symptoms reporting as well as continuous wearable sensor use. RESULTS Two hundred twenty-six HCWs were enrolled between April 28, 2020 and December 07, 2020. The last participant completed the 30-day study procedures on January 16, 2021. Data collection will continue through January 2023, and data analyses are ongoing. CONCLUSIONS Using wearable sensors, smartphone-based symptom logging and survey completion, and biospecimen collections, this study will potentially provide data on the prevalence of COVID-19 infection among HCWs at a single institution. The study will also assess the feasibility of leveraging wearable sensors and self-monitoring of symptoms in a HCW population. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov #NCT04756869

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Prospective Longitudinal Serosurvey of Health Care Workers in the First Wave of the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic in a Quaternary Care Hospital in Munich, Germany

Clinical Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1093/cid/ciaa1935 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Tobias Weinberger ◽

Julius Steffen ◽

Andreas Osterman ◽

Tonina T Mueller ◽

Maximilian Muenchhoff ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Emergency Department ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

University Hospital ◽

Health Care Personnel ◽

Care Hospital ◽

Prospective Longitudinal Study ◽

Care Workers ◽

Antibody Assays ◽

Prospective Longitudinal

Abstract Background High infection rates among health care personnel in an uncontained pandemic can paralyze health systems due to staff shortages. Risk constellations and rates of seroconversion for health care workers during the first wave of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic are still largely unclear. Methods Health care personnel (n=300) on different organizational units in the LMU Munich University Hospital were included and followed in this prospective longitudinal study in the period of March 24 until July 7, 2020. Participants were monitored in intervals of two to six weeks using different antibody assays for serological testing and questionnaires to evaluate risk contacts. In a subgroup of infected participants, we obtained nasopharyngeal swabs to perform whole genome sequencing for outbreak characterization. Results Health care workers involved in patient care on dedicated COVID-19 wards or on regular non-COVID-19 wards showed a higher rate of SARS-CoV-2 seroconversion compared to staff in the emergency department and non-frontline personnel. The landscape of risk contacts in these units was dynamic, with a decrease of unprotected risk contacts in the emergency department and an increase on non-COVID-19 wards. Both, the intensity and number of risk contacts, were associated with higher rates of seroconversion. On regular wards, staff infections tended to occur in clusters, while infections on COVID-19 wards were less frequent and apparently independent of each other. Conclusion The risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection for front-line health care workers was increased during the first pandemic wave in Southern Germany. Stringent measures for infection control are essential to protect all patient-facing staff during the ongoing pandemic.

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