SARS-CoV-2 IgG Seropositivity and Acute Asymptomatic Infection Rate among Firefighter First Responders in an Early Outbreak County in California

Newberry, Jennifer A; Gautreau, Marc; Staats, Katherine; Carrillo, Eli; Mulkerin, William; Yang, Samuel; Kohn, Michael A.; Matheson, Loretta; Boyd, Scott D.; Pinsky, Benjamin A.; Blomkalns, Andra L.; Strehlow, Matthew; D'Souza, Peter

doi:10.1080/10903127.2021.1912227

Cited by 8 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…This lack of concern about the spread of COVID-19 may lead EMS personnel to decrease adherence to personal protection precautions, and consequently increase their risk of infection. 16 Because studies show 40% to 50% of first responders testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies reported no COVID-19–related symptoms, 10 , 17 adherence to personal protection precautions is critical to prevent virus transmission to patients or colleagues while asymptomatic. Future research is necessary to determine the extent to which diminished concern about the spread of COVID-19 influences vaccine acceptability or adherence to personal protection protocols among EMS personnel.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differences in Motivating Factors for SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination and Perceptions of Infection Risk among Healthcare and EMS Personnel in South Carolina

Gormley¹,

Nolan²,

Heo³

et al. 2022

Southern Medical Journal

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No studies have investigated coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related attitudes and vaccinations for emergency medical services (EMS) personnel. Understanding COVID-19-related attitudes and personal protection behaviors of EMS personnel are necessary for the development of targeted interventions to increase vaccine motivation. This article compares COVID-19-related attitudes and personal protection behaviors of EMS personnel with those of healthcare workers.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differences in Motivating Factors for SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination and Perceptions of Infection Risk among Healthcare and EMS Personnel in South Carolina

Gormley¹,

Nolan²,

Heo³

et al. 2022

Southern Medical Journal

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“…After screening abstracts and full text of articles, 11 studies were included (N = 20,438 participants). [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] Five studies were published in 2020 or later (Figure 3). Many of the studies published in 2020 or later assessed the prevalence of COVID-19.…”

Section: Data Extraction and Synthesismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Eleven (11) studies were identified as addressing the effectiveness of IPC interventions in EMS clinicians. [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] All studies were observational studies with a concurrent comparison group; nine studies were prospective cohorts [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] and two were retrospective cohorts. 8,9 Six were in urban settings ,9,10,12,15,16,18 and five were in multiple settings.…”

Section: Study Qualitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Current Evidence for Infection Prevention and Control Interventions in Emergency Medical Services: A Scoping Review

Jenkins

Hsu

Zhang

et al. 2023

Prehosp. Disaster med.

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Objectives: The aim of this review was to summarize current evidence from the United States on the effectiveness of practices and interventions for preventing, recognizing, and controlling occupationally acquired infectious diseases in Emergency Medical Service (EMS) clinicians. Report and Methods: PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and SCOPUS were searched from January 1, 2006 through March 15, 2022 for studies in the United States that involved EMS clinicians and firefighters, reported on one or more workplace practices or interventions that prevented or controlled infectious diseases, and included outcome measures. Eleven (11) observational studies reported on infection prevention and control (IPC) practices providing evidence that hand hygiene, standard precautions, mandatory vaccine policies, and on-site vaccine clinics are effective. Less frequent handwashing (survey-weight adjusted odds ratio [OR] 4.20; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02 to 17.27) and less frequent hand hygiene after glove use (survey-weight adjusted OR 10.51; 95% CI, 2.54 to 43.45) were positively correlated with nasal colonization of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) or PPE breach were correlated with higher severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) seropositivity (unadjusted risk ratio [RR] 4.2; 95% CI, 1.03 to 17.22). Workers were more likely to be vaccinated against influenza if their employer offered the vaccine (unadjusted OR 3.3; 95% CI, 1.3 to 8.3). Active, targeted education modules for H1N1 influenza were effective at increasing vaccination rates and the success of on-site vaccine clinics. Conclusions: Evidence from the United States exists on the effectiveness of IPC practices in EMS clinicians, including hand hygiene, standard precautions, mandatory vaccine policies, and vaccine clinics. More research is needed on the effectiveness of PPE and vaccine acceptance.

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“…period. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] The objective of this study was to assess the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among first responders in northeastern Ohio.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, few studies have been conducted on first responders, and most of these studies were limited in sample size and presented a snapshot of a local region during a short period. 1-9 The objective of this study was to assess the sero-prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among first responders in northeastern Ohio.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence Among First Responders in Northeastern Ohio, 2020

et al. 2022

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Objectives: First responders, including firefighters, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), paramedics, and law enforcement officers, are working on the front lines to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and facing an increased risk of infection. This study assessed the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among first responders in northeastern Ohio. Methods: A survey and immunoglobulin G antibody test against SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein were offered to University Hospitals Health System–affiliated first-responder departments during May to September 2020. The survey contained questions about demographic characteristics and history of SARS-CoV-2 infection. A total of 3080 first responders with diverse job assignments from more than 400 fire and police departments participated in the study. Results: Of 3080 participants, 73 (2.4%) were seropositive and 26 (0.8%) had previously positive real-time polymerase chain reaction results. Asymptomatic infection accounted for 46.6% (34 of 73) of seropositivity. By occupation, rates of seropositivity were highest among administration/support staff (3.8%), followed by paramedics (3.0%), EMTs (2.6%), firefighters (2.2%), and law enforcement officers (0.8%). Work-associated exposure rates to COVID-19 patients were: paramedics (48.2%), firefighters (37.1%), EMTs (32.3%), law enforcement officers (7.7%), and administration/support staff (4.4%). Self-reported community exposure was positively correlated with self-reported work-associated exposure rate (correlation coefficient = 0.99). Neither self-reported community nor work-associated exposure was correlated with SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence. We found no significant difference in seroprevalence among sex/gender or age groups; however, Black participants had a higher positivity rate than participants of other racial groups despite reporting lower exposure. Conclusions: Despite the high work-associated exposure rate to SARS-CoV-2 infection, first responders with various roles demonstrated seroprevalence no higher than their administrative/supportive colleagues, which suggests infection control measures are effective in preventing work-related infection.

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SARS-CoV-2 IgG Seropositivity and Acute Asymptomatic Infection Rate among Firefighter First Responders in an Early Outbreak County in California

Cited by 8 publications

References 11 publications

Differences in Motivating Factors for SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination and Perceptions of Infection Risk among Healthcare and EMS Personnel in South Carolina

Differences in Motivating Factors for SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination and Perceptions of Infection Risk among Healthcare and EMS Personnel in South Carolina

Current Evidence for Infection Prevention and Control Interventions in Emergency Medical Services: A Scoping Review

SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence Among First Responders in Northeastern Ohio, 2020

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