[The tracking of COVID-19 at work. The experience in the Basque country.]

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Occupational Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• The emergence of SARS-CoV-19 (COVID-19) in late 2019 led to a global pandemic declared by the WHO in March 2020.
• Effective public health responses require robust protocols for case identification, isolation, testing, treatment, and contact tracing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline the development and implementation of the Procedure for Action for Occupational Health and Safety against Exposure to SARS-CoV-19 in the Basque Country.
• To analyze the impact of integrated health and surveillance services on managing COVID-19 in the workplace.

Main Methods:

• Development of a specific protocol for occupational health and safety against SARS-CoV-19 exposure.
• Integrated action by regional Health and Surveillance services for COVID-19 monitoring.
• Data collection on COVID-19 cases, workplace contacts, outbreaks, and temporary invalidity certificates.

Main Results:

• Since November 2020, 19,471 COVID-19 cases were managed across 17,260 firms.
• 22,696 close workplace contacts were identified, resulting in 294 outbreaks and 7,178 temporary invalidity certificates.
• Vaccination's impact on health personnel (since March 2021) and other groups (since June 2021) was observed.

Conclusions:

• Integrated health and safety services are crucial for effective collective health monitoring in occupational settings.
• Public health activities must be led by public authorities to manage pandemics like COVID-19.
• The established protocols demonstrated a structured approach to managing workplace exposure to SARS-CoV-19.