First wave of COVID-19: healthcare and EMS staff among the most infected in Geneva
The SEROCoV-WORK+ seroprevalence study, looking for infection with COVID-19, was conducted in Geneva after the first wave of the pandemic among employees in so-called "essential" sectors. The infection rate among these essential workers was 9.8%, slightly higher than that of the general working-age population (7.9%) at the same time.
On the other hand, the study highlights major differences between sectors of activity: healthcare professionals, EMS staff, cleaning and kitchen staff are more affected by COVID-19 than the general average...
Carried out on a very large sample covering a full range of professions mobilised during semi-containment, this study is crucial for indicating how to combat the spread of the epidemic, and potentially for guiding vaccination campaigns.
The study was conducted by the Population Epidemiology Unit of the Primary Care Medicine Department of the Geneva University Hospitals, in partnership with Hirslanden Clinique la Colline and Clinique des Grangettes, l'Hôpital de La Tour, lEPFLand the Geneva Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services (CCIG) among 10,513 people (16 sectors of activity and 32 professions) between 18 May and 18 September 2020.
