Work-related SARS-CoV2 and Covid19

ABSTRACT

ObjectiveTo map the risk of work-related SARS-CoV-2 across occupations and pandemic waves and investigate its impact on morbidity and partner-risk.MethodsThe cohort includes 2,4 million employees aged 20–69 with follow-up from 2020 through 2021. During this period, 261,203 employees had a positive SARS-CoV-2 test and 4416 were admitted to hospital with Covid-19 (HA). At-risk occupations defined at the 4-digit DISCO-08 level were identified using a reference population of mainly office-workers defined a priory by a job-exposure matrix (JEM). Incidence rate ratios (IRR) and effect modification by pandemic wave were computed by Poisson regression. We adjusted for demographic, social and health characteristics including household size, completed Covid-19 vaccination and occupation-specific frequency of testing.ResultsIn addition to eight specific occupations in the healthcare sector, we found increased risk of Covid-19 related HA in bus drivers, kindergarten teachers, domestic helpers, and operators in food production (IRR from 1.5–3) and modestly increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in numerous occupations outside the healthcare sector including police and security guards, supermarket attendants, receptionists, cooks, and waiters. After the first year of the pandemic, the risk fell to background levels among healthcare workers but not in other occupations. The risk of Covid-19 related HA was increased in spouses with partners in high-risk occupations (IRR 1.54, 95% CI 1.1–2.2). Employees born in low-income countries and male employees from Eastern Europe more often worked in at-risk occupations. Being foreign-born modified the risk of PCR test positivity, primarily because of higher risk among men born in Eastern Europe working in at-risk occupations (IRR 2.39, 95% CI 2.09–2.72 versus IRR 1.19 (95% CI 1.14–1.23) in native-born men).ConclusionSARS-Cov2 transmission at the workplace was common during the Covid-pandemic in spite of temporary lock-downs which emphasizes the need for improved safety measures during future epidemics.