Decrease in Health-Related Quality of Life and Post-COVID-19 Syndrome in Health Care Workers After SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to assess the persistence of symptoms, the prevalence of post-COVID-19 syndrome, and the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among health care workers (HCWs) 6 months after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted. All HCWs with confirmed COVID-19 from January to June 2021 were invited to participate. Health-related quality of life was evaluated in three moments: before COVID-19, after COVID-19 (on return to work), and after 6 months. Persistence of symptoms post-COVID-19 was also assessed. RESULTS: There was a worsening in all dimensions of HRQOL. After 6 months, self-rated health on EuroQol visual analog scale did not return to pre-COVID-19 values. At total, 36.2% of HCWs were diagnosed with post-COVID-19 syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: There was a significant deterioration in HRQOL among HCWs who had COVID-19 and a high frequency of post-COVID-19 syndrome.

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of healthcare workers with COVID-19 pre- and postvaccination.

Vaccines are the most effective strategy to control the spread of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). Data on COVID-19 among healthcare workers (HCW) pre- and postvaccination are limited. This study aims to evaluate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of HCW with COVID-19 pre- and postvaccination. Retrospective cohort study. All HCWs with suspected COVID-19 were included. Demographic data, occupation, symptoms, work in COVID-19 area, and vaccination status were collected. There were 22 267 HCW visits for suspected COVID-19; 7879 (35.4%) tested positive, and 14 388 (64.6%) tested negative. Fever, cough, fatigue, and dyspnea were positive predictors of COVID-19, and sore throat, headache, coryza, work in a COVID-19 area, and COVID-19 vaccination were negative predictors. Of the total number of visits, 41.2% were from vaccinated HCW and 58.8% were from unvaccinated HCW. Among HCWs with COVID-19, 84 (1.1%) required hospitalization, 11 (0.1%) in an intensive care unit (ICU), with three (0.04%) deaths. Six hospitalizations occurred in vaccinated HCWs, being of short duration, with no need for ICU admission and no deaths. SARS-CoV-2 infection prevalence was high among HCW, and vaccinated HCW had fewer hospitalizations, need for ICU, and deaths. Therefore, vaccines may attenuate COVID-19 severity, and efforts must be concentrated to ensure adequate vaccination for HCW.