{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,12]],"date-time":"2026-05-12T21:29:02Z","timestamp":1778621342550,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,23]],"date-time":"2021-11-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1637625600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Elizabeth Blackwell Institute for Health Research","award":["H100004-148"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["H100004-148"]}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000617","name":"Foreign and Commonwealth Office","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["668 303"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["668 303"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000617","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000043","name":"Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000043","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100010269","name":"Wellcome Trust","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["206316_Z_17_Z"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["206316_Z_17_Z"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100010269","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n<jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Healthcare workers are disproportionately affected by COVID-19. In low- and middle- income countries, they may be particularly impacted by underfunded health systems, lack of personal protective equipment, challenging working conditions and barriers in accessing personal healthcare.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n<jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>In this cross-sectional study, occupational health screening was implemented at the largest public sector medical centre in Harare, Zimbabwe, during the \u201cfirst wave\u201d of the country\u2019s COVID-19 epidemic. Clients were voluntarily screened for symptoms of COVID-19, and if present, offered a SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid detection assay. In addition, measurement of height, weight, blood pressure and HbA1c, HIV and TB testing, and mental health screening using the Shona Symptom Questionnaire (SSQ-14) were offered. An interviewer-administered questionnaire ascertained client knowledge and experiences related to COVID-19.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n<jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Between 27<jats:sup>th<\/jats:sup> July and 30<jats:sup>th<\/jats:sup> October 2020, 951 healthcare workers accessed the service; 210 (22%) were tested for SARS-CoV-2, of whom 12 (5.7%) tested positive. Clients reported high levels of concern about COVID-19 which declined with time, and faced barriers including lack of resources for infection prevention and control.<\/jats:p>\n<jats:p>There was a high prevalence of largely undiagnosed non-communicable disease: 61% were overweight or obese, 34% had a blood pressure of 140\/90mmHg or above, 10% had an HbA1c diagnostic of diabetes, and 7% had an SSQ-14 score consistent with a common mental disorder. Overall 8% were HIV-positive, with 97% previously diagnosed and on treatment.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n<jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Cases of SARS-CoV-2 in healthcare workers mirrored the national epidemic curve. Implementation of comprehensive occupational health services during a pandemic was feasible, and uptake was high. Other comorbidities were highly prevalent, which may be risk factors for severe COVID-19 but are also important independent causes of morbidity and mortality. Healthcare workers are critical to combatting COVID-19; it is essential to support their physical and psychological wellbeing during the pandemic and beyond.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0260261","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,23]],"date-time":"2021-11-23T20:43:54Z","timestamp":1637700234000},"page":"e0260261","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":23,"title":["Comprehensive occupational health services for healthcare workers in Zimbabwe during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Fungai","family":"Kavenga","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3502-0744","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Hannah M.","family":"Rickman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7061-7861","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Rudo","family":"Chingono","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Tinotenda","family":"Taruvinga","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Takudzwa","family":"Marembo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8874-907X","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Justen","family":"Manasa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Edson","family":"Marambire","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8569-1602","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Grace","family":"McHugh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Celia L.","family":"Gregson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Tsitsi","family":"Bandason","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Nicol","family":"Redzo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Aspect","family":"Maunganidze","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Tsitsi","family":"Magure","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Chiratidzo","family":"Ndhlovu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1615-3856","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Hilda","family":"Mujuru","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Simbarashe","family":"Rusakaniko","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Portia","family":"Manangazira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Rashida A.","family":"Ferrand","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Katharina","family":"Kranzer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,23]]},"reference":[{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0260261.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"120","DOI":"10.7326\/M20-1632","article-title":"Epidemiology of and Risk Factors for Coronavirus Infection in Health Care Workers: A Living Rapid Review","volume":"173","author":"R Chou","year":"2020","journal-title":"Ann Intern Med"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0260261.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"420","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jinf.2020.05.067","article-title":"High SARS-CoV-2 antibody prevalence among healthcare workers exposed to COVID-19 patients","volume":"81","author":"Y Chen","year":"2020","journal-title":"J Infect"},{"key":"pone.0260261.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.7554\/eLife.58728","article-title":"Screening of healthcare workers for SARS-CoV-2 highlights the role of asymptomatic carriage in COVID-19 transmission","volume":"9","author":"L Rivett","year":"2020","journal-title":"Elife"},{"key":"pone.0260261.ref004","unstructured":"Amnesty International. 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