Biostatistics, Epidemiology & Environmental Health Sciences: Faculty Presentations (2000-2023)
Elevated COVID-19 Case Rates of Government Employees, District of Columbia, 2020-22
Document Type
Presentation
Presentation Date
11-7-2022
Copyright
This work is archived and distributed under the repository's Standard Copyright and Reuse License (opens in new tab). End users may copy, store, and distribute this work without restriction. For all other uses, permission must be obtained from the copyright owners or their authorized agents.
Abstract or Description
Objective: To estimate the rate ratio (RR) of reported COVID-19 cases among governmental employees from seven District of Columbia (D.C.) departments from March 2020 to February 2022.
Methods: Poisson Regression models were used to estimate the RR by department for five different time intervals, using D.C. residents as the reference and the person-day as the offset. The D.C. COVID-19 surveillance data, and the full-time equivalent hours for each department were obtained from the D.C. governmental websites.
Results: For the entire study period (03/07/2020-02/28/2022), the Fire and Emergency Medical Services employees’ rate ratio was three times that of the D.C. residents (RR=3.07, 95% CI, [2.91, 3.25]). This was followed by Department of Correction (RR = 2.53, 95% CI [2.34, 2.73]), Office of Unified Communication (RR = 2.15, 95% CI [1.84, 2.50]), Metropolitan Police Department (RR = 1.98, 95% CI [1.89, 2.07]), and the Youth Rehabilitation Services (RR = 1.62, 95%CI, [1.39, 1.87]). Furthermore, the Child and Family Service Agency and the Department of Motor Vehicles had lower overall rate ratios than the D.C. residents (RR<1). After being stratified by four pandemic stages (before the COVID-19 vaccine, until 50% of D.C. residents were fully vaccinated, before 5-to-10 years old children were eligible for COVID-19 vaccination, and when Omicron became the dominant variant), the rate ratios of FEMS, OUC, and MPD were constantly higher than the D.C. residents (RR>1).
Conclusion: The results suggested higher rate ratio for emergency responders and frontline personnel than for the general population in D.C.. Vaccination is highly recommended.
Sponsorship/Conference/Institution
American Public Health Association Annual Meeting
Location
Boston, MA
Recommended Citation
Hua, Xinyi, Jingjing Yin, Isaac Fung.
2022.
"Elevated COVID-19 Case Rates of Government Employees, District of Columbia, 2020-22."
Biostatistics, Epidemiology & Environmental Health Sciences: Faculty Presentations (2000-2023).
Presentation 332.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/bee-facpres/332
Additional Information
Georgia Southern University faculty members, Jingjing Yin and Isaac Fung co-presented Elevated COVID-19 Case Rates of Government Employees, District of Columbia, 2020-22 in the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting, November 2022.