Analysis finds 6% of adults hospitalized with COVID-19 were health care personnelStudy finds 6% of adults hospitalized with COVID-19 were health care workers

CDC MMWR From the archive Source published October 29, 2020 Summary added April 6, 2026 Editorial oversight: Dr. Amelia Tan, PhD · Internal Medicine & Chronic Disease

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Key Takeaway

Note that 6% of COVID-19 hospitalizations in a 13-state analysis were among health care personnel.

An observational analysis examined COVID-19-associated hospitalizations among adults at 13 sites (COVID-NET) across 13 states. The study did not report the total sample size, specific interventions, comparators, or primary outcomes. The main descriptive finding was that 6% of hospitalized adults with COVID-19 were identified as health care personnel. No safety, tolerability, or adverse event data were reported for this analysis. Key limitations include the observational nature of the data, which shows association only, and the restricted geographic scope of 13 states, limiting generalizability. The practice relevance is minimal as this is a descriptive, non-causal finding from a specific surveillance network, serving mainly to identify a subgroup for potential further investigation.

A recent analysis looked at data from adults who were hospitalized with COVID-19. The data came from 13 different hospital sites across 13 states. Researchers wanted to see what proportion of these hospitalized patients worked in health care.

They found that about 6 out of every 100 adults hospitalized with COVID-19 were health care personnel. This means health care workers made up a noticeable part of the hospitalized patient group in these areas during the study period.

The main reason to be careful with this finding is that it is based on observational data from only 13 states. Observational studies can show patterns and associations, but they cannot prove what caused the hospitalizations. The study did not test any specific treatments or compare risks between different jobs.

Readers should take from this that health care workers were represented among hospitalized COVID-19 patients in these locations. It is a snapshot of one part of the pandemic, not a complete national picture. The study highlights the importance of workplace safety, but more research would be needed to understand the full story.

What this means for you:

Data from 13 states shows health care workers made up 6% of COVID-19 hospitalizations; this is an observation, not proof of cause.

Study Details

EvidenceLevel 5

PublishedOct 2020

View Original Abstract ↓

This report describes an analysis of COVID-19 hospitalization data from 13 sites, which indicated that 6% of adults hospitalized with COVID-19 were health care personnel.

Analysis finds 6% of adults hospitalized with COVID-19 were health care personnelStudy finds 6% of adults hospitalized with COVID-19 were health care workers

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Analysis finds 6% of adults hospitalized with COVID-19 were health care personnelStudy finds 6% of adults hospitalized with COVID-19 were health care workers

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