Prevalence of Post COVID-19 Condition among Healthcare Workers: Self-Reported Online Survey in Four African Countries, December 2021

Prevalence of Post COVID-19 Condition among Healthcare Workers: Self-Reported Online Survey in Four African Countries, December 2021–January 2022

Published:2023-10-30 Issue:11 Volume:3 Page:1663-1676
ISSN:2673-8112
Container-title:COVID
language:en
Short-container-title:COVID

Author:

Elnadi Hager¹,Al-Mustapha Ahmad I.¹²³^ORCID,Odetokun Ismail A.⁴^ORCID,Anjorin AbdulAzeez Adeyemi⁵⁶^ORCID,Mosbah Rasha⁷⁸^ORCID,Fasina Folorunso O.⁹¹⁰^ORCID,Razouqi Youssef¹¹^ORCID,Awiagah Kwame Sherrif¹²^ORCID,Nyandwi Jean Baptiste¹³¹⁴^ORCID,Mhgoob Zuhal E.¹⁵,Gachara George¹⁶^ORCID,Yusuf Mohamud Mohamed Farah¹⁷¹⁸^ORCID,Damaris Bamu F.¹⁹,Maisara Aala Mohamed Osman²⁰,Radwan Mona²¹

Affiliation:

1. Infectious Disease and One Health, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universite de Tours, 37200 Tours, France

2. Department of Veterinary Services, Kwara State Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ilorin 240001, Nigeria

3. Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland

4. Department of Veterinary Public Health & Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ilorin, Ilorin 240003, Nigeria

5. Department of Microbiology (Virology Research), Lagos State University, Lagos 102101, Nigeria

6. Africa Center of Excellence for Innovative and Transformative STEM Education, Lagos State University, Lagos 102101, Nigeria

7. Faculty of Oral and Dental Medicine, Ahram Canadian University, Giza Governorate 12451, Egypt

8. Infection Control Unit, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44519, Egypt

9. Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), I-00100 Rome, Italy

10. Department of Veterinary Tropical Disease, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0028, South Africa

11. Interdisciplinary Research Laboratory in Biotechnology and Health, Mohammed VI University of Health Sciences, Casablanca 82403, Morocco

12. Training and Research Unit, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra P.O. Box 77, Ghana

13. Department of Pharmacy, University of Rwanda, Kigali P.O. Box 4285, Rwanda

14. East Africa Community Regional Center of Excellence for Vaccines, Immunization, and Health Supply Chain Management, Kigali P.O. Box 4285, Rwanda

15. Department of Public Health & Infection Control, Aljawda Hospital & El Nileen University Community Development College, Khartoum 11111, Sudan

16. Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Kenyatta University, Nairobi 00609, Kenya

17. Department of Emergency Medicine, Mogadishu Somali Turkish Training and Research Hospital, Mogadishu 2526, Somalia

18. Department of Research, Jazeera University, Mogadishu 00968, Somalia

19. Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany

20. Department of Nephrology and Hemodialysis, International University of Africa, Khartoum 11111, Sudan

21. Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Ash Sharqia Governorate 44588, Egypt

Abstract

The impact of Post COVID-19 Condition (PCC) is ongoing despite the declaration that the 2019 COVID-19 pandemic has ended. In this study, we explore the prevalence of PCC among healthcare workers (HCWs) in four African Countries and its influence on their professional performance. This study was conducted as an online cross-sectional survey of healthcare workers from four African countries (Cameroon, Egypt, Nigeria, and Somalia) between the 20th of December 2021 to 12th of January 2022. We determined the prevalence of PCC based on the WHO case definition and assessed variables associated with a higher prevalence of PCC in these countries using univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses. A total of 706 HCWs from four African countries were included in this survey. Most of the HCWs were aged between 18–34 years (75.8%, n = 535). Our findings showed that 19.5% (n = 138) of the HCWs had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. However, 8.4% (n = 59) were symptomatic for COVID-19 but tested negative or were never tested. Two-thirds of the HCWs (66.4%, n = 469) have received a COVID-19 vaccine and 80.6% (n = 378) of those vaccinated had been fully vaccinated. The self-reported awareness rate of PCC among the HCWs was 16.1% (n = 114/706) whereas the awareness rate of PCC among COVID-19-positive HCWs was 55.3% (n = 109/197). The prevalence of PCC among HCWs was 58.8% (n = 116). These changes include the self-reported symptoms of PCC which included headache (58.4%, n = 115), fatigue (58.8%, n = 116), and muscle pain (39.6%, n = 78). Similarly, 30% (n = 59) and 20.8% (n = 41) of the HCWs reported the loss of smell and loss of taste long after their COVID-19 infection, respectively. Some HCWs (42%, n = 83) believed that their work performance has been affected by their ongoing symptoms of PCC. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of PCC among the vaccinated and unvaccinated HCWs (p > 0.05). Of the socio-demographic variables, age (older HCWs between 45–54 years; OR:1.7; 95% CI: 1.06, 10.59; p = 0.001) and location (Egypt; OR:14.57; 95% CI: 2.62, 26.76; p = 0.001) were more likely to have experienced PCC than other age groups and countries respectively. The study revealed a low prevalence of PCC among the surveyed HCWs. In addition, it observed the need for adequate medical and psychological support to HCWs with PCC and improved mass advocacy campaigns on PCC.

Publisher

MDPI AG

Subject

General Medicine

Link

https://www.mdpi.com/2673-8112/3/11/114/pdf

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