Evaluation of risk factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 transmission
Mai Luu, Shamael Thabit Mohammed Alhady, Nguyen Tran Minh Duc, Lê Văn Trường, Ahmad Taysir Atieh Qarawi, U Venkatesh, Ranjit Tiwari, Ian Christopher N. Rocha, Le Huu Nhat Minh, R. Ravikulan, Shyam Prakash Dumre, Hoang Thi Nam Giang, Dmytro Pavlenko, Fatmaelzahraa Yasser Ali, Bao-Tran Do Le, Sedighe Karimzadeh, Parshal Bhandari, Jaffer Shah, Jeza Muhamad Abdul Aziz, Nguyen Tien Huy, the TMGH COVID-19 Collaborators
Abstract
Objective Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused high morbidity and mortality worldwide. Since there is not enough evidence of risk factors of SARS-CoV-2 transmission, this study aimed to evaluate them.Methods This survey-based study was conducted across 66 countries from May to November 2020 among suspected and confirmed individuals with COVID-19. The stepwise AIC method was utilized to determine the optimal multivariable logistic regression to explore predictive factors of SARS-CoV-2 transmission.Results Among 2372 respondents who participated in the study, there were 1172 valid responses. The profession of non-healthcare-worker (OR: 1.77, 95%CI: 1.04–3.00, p = .032), history of SARS-CoV or MERS-CoV infection (OR: 4.78, 95%CI: 2.34–9.63, p < .001), higher frequency of contact with colleagues (OR: 1.17, 95%CI: 1.01–1.37, p = .041), and habit of hugging when greeting (OR: 1.25, 95%CI: 1.00–1.56, p = .049) were associated with an increased risk of contracting COVID-19. Current smokers had a lower likelihood of having COVID-19 compared to former smokers (OR: 5.41, 95%CI: 1.93–17.49, p = .002) or non-smokers (OR: 3.69, 95%CI: 1.48–11.11, p = .01).Conclusions Our study suggests several risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 transmission including the profession of non-healthcare workers, history of other coronavirus infections, frequent close contact with colleagues, the habit of hugging when greeting, and smoking status.