Table 2.
Description of high-risk exposures among hospital staff, March–July 2020
| Staff with a high-risk exposure (N = 204) | Statistical comparison | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Subsequent positive COVID-19 test (n = 26) | No positive COVID-19 test (n = 178) | P value | |
| Overall | 204 | 26 (13%) | 178 (87%) | – |
| Age, mean (SD) | 38 (13.1) | 36 (11.6) | 40 (11.8) | 0.15 |
| Female sex, n (%) | 180 (88%) | 19 (73%) | 161 (90%) | 0.01 |
| Occupational group, n (%)a | ||||
| Nurse | 121 (59%) | 16 (62%) | 105 (59%) | 0.001 |
| Allied health | 26 (13%) | 2 (8%) | 24 (13%) | |
| Physician | 2 (1%) | 2 (8%) | 0 (0%) | |
| Clinical support staff | 45 (22%) | 3 (12%) | 42 (24%) | |
| Non-clinical staff | 10 (5%) | 3 (12%) | 7 (4%) | |
| Exposure source, n (%) | ||||
| Fellow staff member | 96 (47%) | 15 (58%) | 81 (46%) | 0.24 |
| Patient | 108 (53%) | 11 (42%) | 97 (55%) | |
| Exposure location, n (%) | ||||
| Clinical area | 128 (63%) | 17 (65%) | 111 (62%) | 0.75 |
| Non-clinical area | 76 (37%) | 9 (35%) | 67 (38%) | |
| Within clinical areasa | ||||
| Unit on outbreak | 84 (66%) | 11 (65%) | 73 (66%) | 0.8 |
| COVID unit | 3 (2%) | 0 (0%) | 3 (3%) | |
| Other | 41 (32%) | 6 (35%) | 35 (32%) | |
| Within non-clinical areas, n (%)a | ||||
| Lunchroom/break room | 62 (82%) | 4 (44%) | 58 (87%) | 0.008 |
| Other (meeting rooms/offices) | 14 (18%) | 5 (56%) | 9 (13%) | |
| PPE worn during exposure, n (%) | ||||
| Face shielda | 4 (2%) | 0 (0%) | 4 (2%) | 1.0 |
| Gloves | 85 (42%) | 10 (38%) | 75 (42%) | 0.7 |
| Gowna | 13 (6%) | 2 (8%) | 11 (6%) | 0.7 |
| Surgical mask | 106 (52%) | 16 (62%) | 90 (51%) | 0.3 |
aComparison P value calculated with Fishers exact test.