OBJECTIVE: to identify factors associated with infection and hospitalization due to COVID-19 in nursing professionals. METHOD: a cross-sectional study carried out with 415 nursing professionals in a hospital specialized in cardiology. The sociodemographic variables, comorbidities, working conditions and issues related to illness due to COVID-19 were evaluated. Chi-Square, Fisher's, Wilcoxon, Mann-Whitney and Brunner Munzel tests were used in data analysis, as well as Odds Ratio for hospitalization, in addition to binary logistic regression. RESULTS: the rate of nursing professionals affected by COVID-19 was 44.3% and the factors associated with infection were the number of people living in the same household infected by COVID-19 (OR 36.18; p<0.001) and use of public transportation (OR 2.70; p=0.044). Having severe symptoms (OR 29.75), belonging to the risk group (OR 3.00), having tachypnea (OR 6.48), shortness of breath (OR 5.83), tiredness (OR 4.64), fever (OR 4.41) and/or myalgia (OR 3.00) increased the chances of hospitalization in professionals with COVID-19. CONCLUSION: living in the same household as other people with the disease and using public transportation increased the risk of infection by the new coronavirus. The factors associated with the hospitalization of contaminated professionals were presence of risk factors for the disease, severity and type of the symptoms presented.