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Ibrahim CPH, Al Chaer R, Thomas E, Weber S. Mitigating healthcare worker risk during the COVID-19 pandemic - experience from a large tertiary maternity centre in the United Arab Emirates. J Med Life 2023; 16:1701-1706. [PMID: 38406789 PMCID: PMC10893568 DOI: 10.25122/jml-2023-0168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 02/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, healthcare workers (HCW) have been leading the charge in combating it, in spite of being disproportionately affected by the disease compared to the general population. This study describes the measures instituted at the largest maternity center in the United Arab Emirates during the pandemic to mitigate the risk of HCW contracting COVID-19, as well as the effectiveness of those measures. The incidence of COVID-19 amongst healthcare workers at the facility was compared to that in the general population over a 13-month period from February 2021 to February 2022. Data on population testing was obtained from the database maintained by the regional testing lab, while HCW testing data was obtained from the occupational health department at the hospital. The incidence of COVID-19 in HCWs and the general population was compared using summary statistics and charts. Several mitigation measures were instituted to protect HCW during the pandemic including patient traffic management, adequate provision of personal protective equipment, staff vaccination campaigns, infrastructure enhancement, workforce planning, and structured occupational health policies. During the study period the overall positivity rate in the general population was 5.78% (83,005/1.4 million tests) and that for staff was 1.19% (401/33,228 tests). The peaks and troughs on staff turning positive for COVID-19 coincided with peaks and troughs of the pandemic in the general population. The hospital instituted effective mitigation measures in protecting the staff and keeping COVID-19 rates well below the ones encountered in the general population.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ramza Al Chaer
- Occupational Health Department, Corniche Hospital, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Elsin Thomas
- Occupational Health Department, Corniche Hospital, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Stefan Weber
- Union 71 Laboratory Services, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
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Alqatari S, Nemer A, Hasan M, Bukhari R, Al Argan R, Al Khafaji D, Alwaheed A, Alzaki A, Al-wazza M, Al Warthan S, Al Saeed A, Albeladi F, Almeer H, AlSulaiman R, Abu Quren A. COVID-19 in patients with rheumatological diseases in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. J Med Life 2023; 16:873-882. [PMID: 37675163 PMCID: PMC10478665 DOI: 10.25122/jml-2023-0037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The severity of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and its effects remain unpredictable. Certain factors, such as obesity, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes mellitus, may increase the severity of the disease. Rheumatology experts suggest that patients with active autoimmune conditions and controlled autoimmune diseases on immunosuppressive therapy may be at higher risk of developing severe COVID-19. In this retrospective observational study, we aimed to examine the patterns of COVID-19 in patients with underlying rheumatological diseases and their association with disease severity and hospital outcomes. A total of 34 patients with underlying rheumatological diseases who tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were included between March 2020 and April 2021 at King Fahd Hospital of the University. The study population consisted of 76.47% female and 23.53% male patients, with a mean age ranging from 20 to 40 years. Female gender (p=0.0001) and younger age (p=0.004) were associated with milder disease. The most frequent rheumatological disease was systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (38.24%), which was associated with a milder infection (p=0.045). Patients treated with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) had a milder disease course (p=0.0037). Hypertension was significantly associated with severe COVID-19 disease (p=0.037). There was no significant relationship between SLE and the need for ICU admission. Patients on hydroxychloroquine and MMF tended to develop milder disease, and there was no association between the severity of the infection and the treatment with steroids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Safi Alqatari
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, King Fahd Hospital, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Khobar, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ameera Nemer
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, King Fahd Hospital, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Khobar, Saudi Arabia
| | - Manal Hasan
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, King Fahd Hospital, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Khobar, Saudi Arabia
| | - Raed Bukhari
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, King Fahd Hospital, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Khobar, Saudi Arabia
| | - Reem Al Argan
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, King Fahd Hospital, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Khobar, Saudi Arabia
| | - Dania Al Khafaji
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, King Fahd Hospital, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Khobar, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abrar Alwaheed
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, King Fahd Hospital, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Khobar, Saudi Arabia
| | - Alaa Alzaki
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, King Fahd Hospital, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Khobar, Saudi Arabia
| | - Marwan Al-wazza
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, King Fahd Hospital, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Khobar, Saudi Arabia
| | - Sara Al Warthan
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, King Fahd Hospital, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Khobar, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abir Al Saeed
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, King Fahd Hospital, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Khobar, Saudi Arabia
| | - Feda Albeladi
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, King Fahd Hospital, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Khobar, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hashim Almeer
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, King Fahd Hospital, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Khobar, Saudi Arabia
| | - Reem AlSulaiman
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, King Fahd Hospital, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Khobar, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmed Abu Quren
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, King Fahd Hospital, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Khobar, Saudi Arabia
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