Incidence and Severity of COVID-19 in Hospital Staff and Their Relationship with Influenza Vaccination in Mazandaran Province, 2020

Background and purpose: Protecting healthcare workers on the front line of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is very important. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of COVID-19 in hospital staff and its relationship with influenza vaccine in 2020. Materials and methods: A descriptive-analytical study was performed in 4446 staff working in public hospitals in Mazandaran province, Iran. The sample size was calculated using the Cochranchr('39')s formula and the participants were selected by simple random sampling. Demographic and therapeutic information were collected using an electronic checklist. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and Chi-square test and analysis of variance using SPSS V21. Results: In this study, 1388 (31.21%) cases were infected with COVID-19 and 3058 (68.79%) had no history of the disease. In people with and without COVID-19, 384 (27.66%) and 761 (24.88%) were men, respectively. According to findings, the rate of COVID-19 infection was lower in individuals who received influenza vaccine compared to non-infected people, but there was no significant difference between these groups in receiving influenza vaccine within a year ago (P = 0.07). Conclusion: In present study, the influenza vaccine did not have a protective role against COVID-19. Moreover, it did not influence the severity of the disease and cannot be helpful in making a prognosis of COVID-19.