Health worker exposure levels

Are health care workers more at risk for COVID-19?

A recent study of nearly 25,000 of them who faced COVID-19 exposure seems to buck the notion that the workplace is the likely place of transmission. 

Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in March, the study concluded that “exposure outside the workplace was the strongest risk factor” for health care workers, especially those living in a zip code with higher COVID-19 incidence, and that “none of the assessed workplace factors were associated” with contraction of COVID-19. 

The study suggested “that current infection prevention strategies in health care are effective in preventing patient-to-(health care personnel) transmission in the workplace.”

Meanwhile, COVID-19 workers compensation claims from health care workers and first responders represented the lion’s share of claim activity. 

The Boca Raton, Florida-based National Council on Compensation Insurance reported in June that nursing/convalescent home employees, other health care workers and first responders have collectively accounted for 72% of all COVID-19 workers comp claims reported to the ratings agency since the start of the pandemic.