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Background The COVID-19 pandemic placed immense strain on global health systems and healthcare workers (HCWs). This study aimed to analyze the epidemiological profiles and outcomes of HCWs hospitalized for COVID-19 across five sub-Saharan African countries. Methods This was a cohort study using secondary data collected between January 30, 2020, and December 31, 2022, as part of the International Severe Acute Respiratory and emerging Infection Consortium study. The study population consisted of HCWs who were hospitalized due to clinically suspected or laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. Demographic and clinical characteristics and case management were summarized using proportions or medians and interquartile ranges. Factors associated with risk of mortality among HCWs were assessed using a Cox proportional hazards model, adjusted for age and sex. Results Findings showed that South Africa recorded a lower percentage (2.4%) of patients who were HCWs compared to Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, and Malawi. Overall, many HCWs were aged ≥50 years and the majority were females (66.8%). In three of the five countries, however, the majority of the HCWs were Conclusions Our study underscores the critical need for continuous protection and enhanced readiness for HCWs, particularly during epidemics and pandemics. Strengthening infection prevention and control measures and focusing on vulnerable groups such as older and female HCWs are essential for mitigating the impact of future health crises. Further research is required to fully comprehend the implications of these findings.

Background Due to occupational exposure, healthcare workers (HCWs) have a higher risk of Coronavirus Disease 2019(COVID-19) infection than the general population. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) may increase the risk of COVID-19-related morbidity and mortality among HCWs, potentially reducing the available health workforce. We examined the association between NCDs and COVID-19 disease severity and mortality among infected HCWs. Methods This cohort study used data from the International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infections Consortium (ISARIC) database. HCWs hospitalized between January 2020 and January 2023 due to clinically suspected or laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 were eligible for inclusion. Variables collected included demographic data, comorbidities, and hospitalization outcomes. Descriptive statistics were reported using mean/standard deviation (SD), median/interquartile range (IQR), or frequencies and proportions. For each NCD, the relative risk of death, adjusted for age and sex, was calculated using log-binomial regression as well as the population-attributable fraction. Results There were 17,502 HCWs, 95.7% of whom had a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis. The majority were female (66.5%) and the mean age (SD) was 49.8 (14.3) years. Roughly, half (51.42%) of HCWs had no comorbidities, 29.28% had one comorbidity, 14.68% had 2 comorbidities and Conclusions Many HCWs with COVID-19 had one or more NCDs. Obesity and diabetes mellitus increased COVID-19 severity and mortality risk. Reducing the prevalence of obesity and diabetes mellitus would yield the biggest reduction in COVID-19-related morbidity and mortality among HCWs.