The COVID-19 INCIDENCE AND EXPOSURE PATTERNS AT QATAR UNIVERSITY: A RESTROSPECTIVE STUDY

Abstract

The university campus environment is a critical risk area of succumbing to respiratory diseases because of interpersonal contacts. Having an idea of the disparities in the patterns of COVID-19 infections and close contacts among the subgroups on campus can be used to inform targeted public health measures. The objective of this study was to determine the incidence and exposure patterns to COVID-19 infection and close contact rates among Qatar University students, staff, and contractors during the academic year in 2021-2022. A retrospective study was conducted using institutional surveillance data of COVID-19 collected by the Qatar University COVID-19 Monitoring System. The dataset contained confirmed cases of COVID-19 and identified close contacts with students (n =16,000), employees (n=3,000) and contractors (n=2,500). The incidence and close contact exposures were expressed per 1,000 people. The rates of infections grew significantly in 2022 in comparison with 2021, especially among staff (21.0-327.3/1,000 people) and students (12.8-140.6/1,000 people), but remained low and constant among the contractors. The highest cumulative incidence of infection was found in staff (348.3 per 1,000), but students had the highest rate of close contacts (703.2 per 1,000). The levels of infection and exposure continued were low among contractors, who, therefore, displayed disciplined infection patterns and operations. Our findings indicate the significance of context-specific plans in terms of public health in universities to ensure resilience to potential future outbreaks.