The gender peak effect: Women are most vulnerable to infections during COVID-19 peaks

Wu, Cary; Qian, Yue

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2022.937179

Cited by 8 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…However, other studies have demonstrated a higher percentage of female patients in the population of COVID-19 patients [14,15,[31][32][33][34]. Globally, a large proportion of the health and social care workforce is represented by women, exposing them to a higher risk for morbidity, both at work and at home, when caring for sick family members [35,36].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epidemiological Characteristics of COVID-19 during Seven Consecutive Epidemiological Waves (2020–2022) in the North Bačka District, Serbia

Banjac,

Vuković,

Pustahija

et al. 2023

Viruses

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The COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose a threat to global public health. The purpose of this research was to determine the epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 in the North Bačka district while observing seven pandemic waves. The cross-sectional study was based on data from the COVID-19 surveillance database of the Institute for Public Health of Vojvodina during the period from March 2020 to December 2022. A total of 38,685 primary infections and 4067 reinfections caused by SARS-CoV-2 were notified. Pandemic waves caused by the Delta variant (cumulative incidence rate of 2482.37/100,000) and by the Omicron variant (cumulative incidence rate of 2994.45/100,000) emerged as significant focal points during the surveillance period. Over the course of three consecutive years (2020–2022), women were more affected (50.11%, 54.03%, and 55.68%, respectively). The highest incidence rates in age-specific categories were recorded in 2021 for the age group 40–49 (1345.32 per 10,000 inhabitants), while in 2022, they shifted towards the elderly population. Regarding vaccination status at the time of diagnosis, in 2021, around 15% of patients were vaccinated, while in 2022, the number increased to 37%. The most widely received vaccine was BBIBP-CorV (67.45%), followed by BNT162b2 (19.81%), Gam-COVID-Vac (9.31%), and ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (3.42%) vaccine. The implementation of stringent public health measures and their mitigation, together with the emergence of new variants, influenced the dynamics of COVID-19 pandemic waves in the North Bačka district. Notably, throughout the study period, the working-age population was the most affected, along with females, with a mild clinical presentation dominating. Reinfections were most frequently recorded during the latter pandemic waves. Dealing with this pandemic has provided some valuable lessons for the development of future strategies in the case of a similar public health crisis.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epidemiological Characteristics of COVID-19 during Seven Consecutive Epidemiological Waves (2020–2022) in the North Bačka District, Serbia

Banjac,

Vuković,

Pustahija

et al. 2023

Viruses

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Accumulating epidemiological evidence has shown similar infection rates of SARS-CoV-2 between males and females in general communities [23]. Nevertheless, a study using data reported by health authorities in Canada revealed that working-age women were more vulnerable to infections than were similar-aged men during the COVID-19 pandemic [24]. Women's predominant roles as caregivers both in families and workforces may expose them to an elevated risk of infection [24,25].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epidemiological characteristics of first-time SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infection among hospital staff in Chengdu, China

Tang,

Wang,

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Background After China ended its ‘dynamic zero-COVID policy’ on 7 December 2022, a large-scale outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infections emerged across the country. We conducted a hospital-wide prospective study to document the epidemiological characteristics of the outbreak among healthcare workers in a hospital of Chengdu, where no previous staff SARS-CoV-2 infections were detected. Methods All hospital staff members were invited to complete an online questionnaire on COVID-19 in January 2023, and SARS-CoV-2 infection cases were followed up by telephone in June 2023 to collect data on long COVID. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the risk factors of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Results A total of 2,899 hospital staff (93.5%) completed the online questionnaire, and 86.4% were infected with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron. The clinical manifestations of these patients were characterized by a high incidence of systemic symptoms. Cough (83.3%), fatigue (79.8%) and fever (74.3%) were the most frequently reported symptoms. Multivariable logistic analysis revealed that females [adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 1.48, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.13–1.96] and clinical practitioners (aOR: 9.66, 95% CI: 6.24–14.96) were associated with an increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, whereas advanced age ≥ 60 years (aOR: 0.33, 95% CI: 0.21–0.53) and full COVID-19 vaccination with the latest dose administered 1–3 months before 7 December 2022 (aOR: 0.41, 95% CI: 0.22–0.77) were associated with reduced risk. Only 4.27% cases suffered from long COVID of fatigue, brain fog or both, and for the majority of them, the symptoms were minor. Conclusion Our findings provide a snapshot of the epidemiological situation of SARS-CoV-2 infection among healthcare workers in Chengdu after China's deregulation of COVID-19 control. Data in the study can aid in the development and implementation of effective measures to protect healthcare workers and maintain the integrity of healthcare systems during challenging times such as a rapid and widespread Omicron outbreak.

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“…Accumulating epidemiological evidence has shown similar infection rates of SARS-CoV-2 between males and females in general communities [ 29 ]. Nevertheless, a study using data reported by health authorities in Canada revealed that working-age women were more vulnerable to infections than were similar-aged men during the COVID-19 pandemic [ 30 ]. Women’s predominant roles as caregivers both in families and workforces may expose them to an elevated risk of infection [ 31 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epidemiological characteristics of first-time SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infection among hospital staff in Chengdu, China

Tang,

Wang,

et al. 2024

J Health Popul Nutr

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Background After China ended its ‘dynamic zero-COVID policy’ on 7 December 2022, a large-scale outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infections emerged across the country. We conducted a hospital-wide prospective study to document the epidemiological characteristics of the outbreak among healthcare workers in a hospital of Chengdu, where no previous staff SARS-CoV-2 infections were detected. Methods All hospital staff members were invited to complete an online questionnaire on COVID-19 in January 2023, and SARS-CoV-2 infection cases were followed up by telephone in June 2023 to collect data on long COVID. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Results A total of 2,899 hospital staff (93.5%) completed the online questionnaire, and 86.4% were infected with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron. The clinical manifestations of these patients were characterized by a high incidence of systemic symptoms. Cough (83.4%), fatigue (79.8%) and fever (74.3%) were the most frequently reported symptoms. Multivariable logistic analysis revealed that females [adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 1.42, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.07–1.88] and clinical practitioners (aOR: 10.32, 95% CI: 6.57–16.20) were associated with an increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, whereas advanced age ≥ 60 years (aOR: 0.30, 95% CI: 0.19–0.49) and a three-dose COVID-19 vaccination with the most recent dose administered within 3 months before 7 December 2022 (aOR: 0.44, 95% CI: 0.23–0.87 for within 1 month; aOR: 0.46, 95% CI: 0.22–0.97 for within 1–3 months) were associated with reduced risk. Among the cases, 4.27% experienced long COVID of fatigue, brain fog or both, with the majority reporting minor symptoms. Conclusion Our findings provide a snapshot of the epidemiological situation of SARS-CoV-2 infection among healthcare workers in Chengdu after China’s deregulation of COVID-19 control. Data in the study can aid in the development and implementation of effective measures to protect healthcare workers and maintain the integrity of healthcare systems during challenging times such as a rapid and widespread Omicron outbreak.

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The gender peak effect: Women are most vulnerable to infections during COVID-19 peaks

Cited by 8 publications

References 19 publications

Epidemiological Characteristics of COVID-19 during Seven Consecutive Epidemiological Waves (2020–2022) in the North Bačka District, Serbia

Epidemiological Characteristics of COVID-19 during Seven Consecutive Epidemiological Waves (2020–2022) in the North Bačka District, Serbia

Epidemiological characteristics of first-time SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infection among hospital staff in Chengdu, China

Epidemiological characteristics of first-time SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infection among hospital staff in Chengdu, China

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