The impact of COVID-19 on healthcare workers: risk factors, sources of infection, and sickness absenteeism

Background/aim: Healthcare workers (HCWs) face increased risks of COVID-19 infection due to occupational exposure. Understanding infection sources, risk factors, and workforce losses is crucial for mitigating these impacts in future pandemics. This study aimed to evaluate the risk factors, infection sources, and sickness absenteeism among HCWs diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection, providing insights to enhance infection control strategies. Materials and methods: The study included 2153 HCWs diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 between March 2020 and February 2023 at a tertiary care hospital in Türkiye. Demographic, clinical, and professional characteristics, personal protective equipment (PPE) usage, infection sources, and vaccination data were analyzed. Statistical analyses were conducted using the R programming language. Results: Among infected HCWs, 68.5% were female, and nurses accounted for 39.4% of cases. PPE compliance was significantly higher in COVID-19-specific units compared to non-COVID-19 units (p < 0.001), yet inappropriate PPE use was observed in 10.5% of exposures. Infections were community-acquired in 35.4%, hospital-acquired from colleagues in 24.9%, and from patients in 7.2% of cases, while 32.5% of infections had unidentified sources. Vaccination data revealed that 73.7% of HCWs missed opportunities for timely vaccination, and nearly half of the vaccinated HCWs were not within the protective window at the time of infection. Sickness absenteeism totaled 23,454 days, exceeding expected workforce loss by 2891 days. Hospitalization occurred in 4.1% of cases, with one fatality. Conclusion: The findings highlight the critical importance of comprehensive infection control measures, improved vaccination uptake, and robust workforce management to protect HCWs and sustain healthcare systems during pandemics.