The Risk of Novel Coronavirus Infection among Healthcare Workers in a Therapeutic Center in Ardabil County, Northwest of Iran: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study (2021)

Background: Coronaviruses (CoVs) belong to the family Coronaviridae, the order Nidovirales, and the genus Coronavirus. This research aimed to assess the risk of infection with SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) among healthcare workers at Imam Khomeini Hospital, Ardabil County, Northwest of Iran. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 201 health care workers of Imam Khomeini hospital were recruited. The questionnaire included demographic information (including age, gender, height, and weight items) and information about job and working conditions, the degree of exposure to people suspected of having the disease, and the degree of compliance with health protocols. Results: The mean age of the healthcare workers (HCWs) was 34.37 ± 7.42 years. In terms of job distribution, most of the HCWs were nurses (57.2%), and only 4.5% were experts. Regarding blood groups, most of the HCWs had the O+ blood group (35.3%). Besides, the PCR results showed that 85.1% of the HCWs had a positive PCR result, and 14.9% were negative. Conclusion: In general, nurses were the most at-risk group among HCWs. This is because they were more frequently in direct contact with patients than other staff members.