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.