SARS-CoV-2 infection among primary healthcare workers: a cross- sectional study

Abstract

Healthcare workers (HCWs) are critical to the healthcare system and are at an increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. They may acquire infections from the community and their work settings. To date, the majority of the studies reporting on the epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 infections in HCWs, including serology testing, are from hospital settings. Primary care provides a platform and plays a critical role in prevention, testing, triaging and treating patients, but a smaller number of studies focus on primary care settings. In a recent systematic review, primary care physicians were at increased risk of worse outcomes and were the highest risk specialty for deaths among doctors. This short report provides an objective assessment of infection risk among frontline primary care HCWs utilizing RT-PCR results and serology testing.