Risk factors for SARS-Cov-2 infection at a United Kingdom electricity-generating company: a test-negative design case-control study

Charlotte E Rutter, Martie Van Tongeren, Tony Fletcher, Sarah A Rhodes, Yiqun Chen, Ian Hall, Nick Warren, Neil Pearce

Research output: Preprint/Working paperPreprint

Abstract

Objectives Identify workplace risk factors for SARS-Cov-2 infection, using data collected by a United Kingdom electricity-generating company.

Methods Using a test-negative design case-control study we estimated the odds ratios (OR) of infection by job category, site, test reason, sex, vaccination status, vulnerability, site outage, and site COVID-19 weekly risk rating, adjusting for age, test date and test type.

Results From an original 80,077 COVID-19 tests, there were 70,646 included in the final analysis. Most exclusions were due to being visitor tests (5,030) or tests after an individual first tested positive (2,968).

Women were less likely to test positive than men (OR=0.71; 95% confidence interval=0.58- 0.86). Test reason was strongly associated with positivity and although not a cause of infection itself, due to differing test regimes by area it was a strong confounder for other variables. Compared to routine tests, tests due to symptoms were highest risk (94.99; 78.29- 115.24), followed by close contacts (16.73; 13.80-20.29) and looser work contacts 2.66 (1.99-3.56). After adjustment, we found little difference in risk by job category, but some differences by site with three sites showing substantially lower risks, and one site showing higher risks in the final model.

Conclusions Infection risk was not associated with job category. Vulnerable individuals were at slightly lower risk, tests during outages were higher risk, vaccination showed no evidence of an effect on testing positive, and site COVID-19 risk rating did not show an ordered trend in positivity rates.
Original languageEnglish
PublisherCold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 25 Aug 2023

Publication series

NamemedRxiv
PublisherCold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press

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