Background: The SARS-CoV-2 outbreak originated in the Hubei province in China spread rapidly throughout the world during the first months of 2020. On March 3, the first case was reported in Chile; at 17 days the first case of COVID-19 healthcare worker (HCW) was notified in our institution.
Aim: To describe the demographic characteristics and the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the HCW of a university hospital in Chile.
Material and method: Retrospective study of SARS-CoV-2 infection on HCW in a university hospital between March 1 and May 31, 2020.
Results: There were 273 positive cases. In the period under study, we had an incidence of 5.8%. When we separated the cases into clinical and non-clinical personnel, it was observed that their incidences were practically identical (5.8 vs. 5.7% p = 0.9430). 88% of the officials were oligosymptomatic or asymptomatic at the beginning of the clinical presentation and only 12% had a fever before the medical consultation.
Conclusion: The incidence reported in the study was around 5 times that reported in Wuhan. If we apply the current definition of cases, we would lose 4 out of 5 cases. 88% of HPW did not present criteria to be considered suspicious, so it would be advisable in HCW to eliminate fever as a criterion to improve the research and trace their contacts on time.