TY - GEN A1 - Hoffmann, Stephanie A1 - Schiebel, Juliane A1 - Hufert, Frank A1 - Gremmels, Heinz-Detlef A1 - Spallek, Jacob T1 - COVID-19 among Healthcare Workers: A Prospective Serological-Epidemiological Cohort Study in a Standard Care Hospital in Rural Germany T2 - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health N2 - Healthcare workers (HCW) play a vital role in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic control. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and the risk of COVID-19 infections in a cohort of HCW from four different risk groups (from intensive care unit to administration) of a hospital of a primary care level in rural Germany. The outcomes were monthly measures of antibody seroprevalence over a period of 6 months. Overall, a seroprevalence of 13.41% was determined, with significantly higher prevalence rates among HCW working in areas with more frequent contact to confirmed or suspected cases (30.30%, p = 0.003). The group specific differences in the risk of infection from COVID-19 were detected, as HCW groups with frequent exposure seemed to have an increased risk (RR = 3.18, p = 0.02; CI95 1.09–9.24). The findings contribute to the epidemiological understanding of the virus spread in an unvaccinated population group, which is highly relevant for the pandemic management. KW - SARS-CoV-2 KW - immunity KW - antibody KW - healthcare KW - staff KW - COVID-19 KW - seroprevalence KW - pandemic Y1 - 2021 UR - https://opus4.kobv.de/opus4-UBICO/frontdoor/index/index/docId/27817 UR - https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/20/10999 SN - 1660-4601 VL - 18 IS - 20 ER -