Table 1.
Characteristics of study participants according to the mask policy of the respective health care institution
| FFP-2 masks recommended exclusively for aerosol generating procedures in patients with COVID-19 | FFP-2 masks recommended for all interactions with patients with COVID-19 | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of health care institutions | 7 | 6 |
| Number of participants (n = 2794) | 1993 | 801 |
| Age, median (IQR) | 42 (31–52) | 45 (33–54) |
| Sex: n (%) female | 1579 (79.2%) | 618 (77.2%) |
| Profession | ||
| Employee without patient exposure | 406 (20.4%) | 153 (19.1%) |
| Nurse | 823 (41.3%) | 295 (36.8%) |
| Physician | 305 (15.3%) | 71 (8.9%) |
| Other employee with patient exposure | 459 (23.0%) | 282 (35.2%) |
| Employee in ICU | 168 (8.4%) | 19 (2.4%) |
| Employee in COVID-19 ward | 186 (9.3%) | 60 (7.5%) |
| Employee in emergency unit | 309 (15.5%) | 87 (10.9%) |
| Exposure at baseline (n = 2757) | ||
| Type of patient exposure | ||
| No patient exposure | 601 (30.2%) | 244 (30.5%) |
| Exposure to non-COVID-19 patients | 827 (41.5%) | 384 (47.9%) |
| Exposure to COVID-19 patients | 532 (26.7%) | 169 (21.1%) |
| Exposure to SARS-CoV2 infected co-worker | 297 (14.9%) | 86 (10.7%) |
| Non-occupational exposure to SARS-CoV2 infected person | 58 (2.9%) | 33 (4.1%) |
| Exposure at follow up (n = 2139) | ||
| Type of patient exposure | ||
| No patient exposure | 499 (30.5%) | 210 (35.5%) |
| Exposure to non-COVID-19 patients | 339 (20.7%) | 154 (26.1%) |
| Exposure to COVID-19 patients | 729 (44.6%) | 208 (35.2%) |
| Exposure to SARS-CoV2 infected co-worker | 322 (19.7%) | 123 (20.8%) |
| Non-occupational exposure to SARS-CoV2 infected person | 161 (9.8%) | 70 (11.8%) |
| Cumulative regional incidence per 100,000 inhabitants (July 2020/March 2021), mean | 340/5298 | 539/6432 |