This study found that poor sleep quality and high working pressure were positively associated with high risks of COVID-19 among a sample of health care workers from a single center in Wuhan, China.

Risk factors in the susceptibility for COVID-19, and infection patterns among HCWs have largely remained unknown.

This was a retrospective analysis of demographics, lifestyles, and contact status with infected subjects among 118 HCWs  from a single-center. Follow-up duration was from Dec 25, 2019, to Feb 15, 2020.

The authors report:

12 HCWs were COVID-19 positive (10.2%).

More COVID-19 HCWs had engaged in night shift-work (75.0% vs. 40.6%) and felt they were working under pressure (66.7% vs. 32.1%) than uninfected HCWs.

COVID-19 HCWs had poorer self-reported sleep and higher self-reported stress than uninfected HCWs. Furthermore, these scores were both positively associated with COVID-19 risk.

An individual-based model (IBM) estimated the outbreak duration among HCWs in a non-typical COVID-19 ward at 62-80 days and the basic reproduction number =1.27 [1.06, 1.61].

By reducing the average contact rate per HCW by a 1.35 factor and susceptibility by a 1.40 factor, we can avoid an outbreak of the basic case among HCWs.