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SARS-CoV-2 Infection Rates Following Use of Regular Compared With Defective Respirators When Caring for COVID-19 Patients: A Retrospective Follow-up Study.

Author information

Affiliations

  • 1. Department of Occupational Medicine, Danish Ramazzini Centre, Aarhus University Hospital, DK-8200 Aarhus N, Denmark.
      Authors
    • Kolstad HA 1
    • Frydenberg M 1
    • Vestergaard JM 1
    • Würtz ET 1
    • Pugdahl K 1
    • Hansen KK 1
    (6 authors)
  • 2. Department of Occupational Medicine, Danish Ramazzini Centre, Goedstrup Hospital, DK-7400 Herning, Denmark.
      Authors
    • Nielsen KJ 2
    • Biering K 2
    (2 authors)
  • 3. Department of Public Health, Work, Environment and Health, Danish Ramazzini Centre, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
      Authors
    • Schlünssen V 3
    • Würtz AML 3
    (2 authors)
  • 4. Department of Clinical Microbiology, Aarhus University Hospital, DK-8200 Aarhus N, Denmark.
      Authors
    • Kjærsgaard M 4
    • Kragh Thomsen M 4
    • Ellermann-Eriksen S 4
    (3 authors)
  • 5. Department of Infectious Diseases, Aarhus University Hospital, DK-8200 Aarhus N, Denmark.
      Authors
    • Jespersen S 5
    • Sørensen MM 5
    • Storgaard M 5
    (3 authors)
    • Show all (6)

ORCIDs linked to this article

Show all (10)

Annals of Work Exposures and Health, 01 Jan 2023, 67(1):141-146
https://doi.org/10.1093/annweh/wxac031 PMID: 35488370 

Abstract 

Background

There is strong observational evidence that respirators are highly effective in protecting the users from being infected with Middle East respiratory syndrome and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), but the evidence for SARS-CoV-2 during daily work is limited. This study utilized a subset of healthcare workers' temporary use of a new brand respirator with frequent defects when caring for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients to assess the protective effect of regular respirators against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Methods

We retrospectively followed 463 participants wearing a regular respirator and 168 wearing the new brand respirator day-by-day when caring for COVID-19 patients until testing polymerase chain reaction positive for SARS-CoV-2 between 27th December 2020 and 14th January 2021.

Results

We observed seven and eight incident SARS-CoV-2-infected cases. This corresponded with daily infection rates of 0.2 and 0.5%, an incidence rate ratio of 0.4 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.1; 1.0], and an incidence rate difference of 0.3% (95% CI -0.1; 0.8) when comparing a regular with the new brand respirator.

Discussion

We regard the new brand respirator a sham intervention, and this study thus provides further evidence for the protective effect of respirators when exposed to SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Full text links 

Read article at publisher's site: https://doi.org/10.1093/annweh/wxac031

Read article for free, from open access legal sources, via Unpaywall: https://academic.oup.com/annweh/article-pdf/67/1/141/48625621/wxac031.pdfUnpaywall

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Funding 

Funders who supported this work.

Central Denmark Region (1)

Danish Working Environment Fund (1)