Coronavirus (COVID-19) Collection
SARS-CoV-2 infection in mortuary and cemetery workers
As of 15 December 2020, more than 73 million people have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 and over 1.6 million deaths have been reported worldwide (Worldometer, 2021). Viral RNA can remain detectable for more than 100 days in 6.6% of patients after clinical recovery from initial infection; 5% their close contacts develop IgG antibodies, suggesting past exposure (Chirathaworn et al., 2020). Asymptomatic people are also well-documented transmitters of infection. Seropositivity for SARS-CoV-2 among healthcare workers varies between 3%–17% (Chen et al., 2020; Fusco et al., 2020).COVID-19 infection among healthcare workers in a national healthcare system: The Qatar experience
Since the identification of first case cluster in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the entire world. The pandemic has overwhelmed hospital capacity and existing healthcare resources in many countries. Healthcare workers (HCWs) are a particularly high-risk group due to their close interactions with infected persons as well as lack or deficiency of personal protective equipment (PPE) in many settings. The rate of infection in HCWs is reported to vary between 3 and 17% and varies according to the history and degree of exposure and presence of symptoms (Lan et al., 2020; Fusco et al., 2020; El-Boghdadly et al., 2020; Chen et al., 2020).
