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Sick leave due to SARS-CoV-2 infection
G Vandersmissen1, J Verbeeck2, P Henckens3
1IDEWE, External Service for Prevention and Protection at Work, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium.
Occupational Medicine (Oxford, England)
|December 11, 2023
Summary
Long-term sick leave due to COVID-19 (Coronavirus disease 2019) was less prevalent than anticipated in Belgian workers. Factors like older age and prior sick leave influenced prolonged absences, but overall rates were lower than initial concerns suggested.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led to significant sick leave globally.
- The duration of COVID-19 related sick leave, particularly long-term absences (>12 weeks), requires further investigation.
- Uncertainty exists regarding the true impact of long COVID on workforce absenteeism.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the burden of sick leave, especially long-term (>12 weeks), among Belgian workers testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2).
- To compare long-term sick leave data for COVID-19 with that of other infectious diseases.
- To identify predictors of prolonged sickness absence in workers with COVID-19.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a combined database of SARS-CoV-2 positive workers and those absent for other infections, linked to objective absence records.
- Employed negative binomial regression, Cox proportional hazards regression, and ordinal logistic regression to analyze predictors of prolonged sickness.
- Included 2569 SARS-CoV-2 positive workers and 392 workers with other infectious diseases in the analysis.
Main Results:
- Among workers with COVID-19, 16% had no registered sick leave.
- The incidence of sick leave exceeding 12 weeks was 14 per 1000 workers for COVID-19, compared to 43 per 1000 for other infections.
- When accounting for all positive cases (including those with no sick leave), the long-term sick leave prevalence for COVID-19 was 12 per 1000.
- Prolonged sick leave was associated with older age, a history of high sick leave, and lower educational attainment.
Conclusions:
- The prevalence of long-term sick leave associated with COVID-19 was lower than suggested by earlier studies.
- Despite concerns about post-COVID-19 syndrome, the study indicates a lower-than-expected burden of prolonged absenteeism.
- Findings highlight the importance of considering all absence data, including zero sick leave, for accurate prevalence estimates.
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