TY - JOUR

T1 - Occupational risk of COVID-19 across pandemic waves

T2 - a two-year national follow-up study of hospital admissions

AU - Bonde, Jens Peter Ellekilde

AU - Sell, Lea

AU - Jensen, Johan Høy

AU - Begtrup, Luise Mølenberg

AU - Flachs, Esben Meulen Gracht

AU - Jakobsson, Kristina

AU - Nielsen, Christel

AU - Nilsson, Kerstin

AU - Rylander, Lars

AU - Petersen, Kajsa Ugelvig

AU - Tøttenborg, Sandra Søgaard

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2022, Nordic Association of Occupational Safety and Health. All rights reserved.

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - Objective Assuming that preventive measures to mitigate viral transmission of SARS-CoV-2 at the workplace may have been improved in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, we examined the occupational risk of COVID-19 related hospital admission across the four pandemic waves in Denmark between week 8, 2020, and week 50, 2021. Methods The study included 4416 cases of COVID-19 related hospital admissions among 2.4 million Danish employees aged 20–69 with follow-up in 2020 through 2021. At-risk industrial sectors and a reference population were defined a priory by a job-exposure matrix on occupational risk for COVID-19. Incidence rate ratios (IRR) and potential effect modification by pandemic wave were computed with Poisson regression adjusted for demographic, social and health factors including completed COVID-19 vaccination. Results We observed an overall elevated relative risk in four of six at-risk industrial sectors, but the pandemic wave only modified the risk among healthcare employees, where the excess risk from a high initial level declined to background levels during the latest waves in models not adjusting for COVID-19 vaccination. In social care, education and transport, the elevated risk was not modified by pandemic wave. Conclusion Danish healthcare employees were to some extent protected against occupational transmission of SARS-CoV-2 during the two last pandemic waves even though the absolute risk conferred by occupation may not have been eliminated. Early vaccination of this group seems not to be the only explanation. The risk in other sectors remained elevated indicating a need to revisit preventive measures.

AB - Objective Assuming that preventive measures to mitigate viral transmission of SARS-CoV-2 at the workplace may have been improved in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, we examined the occupational risk of COVID-19 related hospital admission across the four pandemic waves in Denmark between week 8, 2020, and week 50, 2021. Methods The study included 4416 cases of COVID-19 related hospital admissions among 2.4 million Danish employees aged 20–69 with follow-up in 2020 through 2021. At-risk industrial sectors and a reference population were defined a priory by a job-exposure matrix on occupational risk for COVID-19. Incidence rate ratios (IRR) and potential effect modification by pandemic wave were computed with Poisson regression adjusted for demographic, social and health factors including completed COVID-19 vaccination. Results We observed an overall elevated relative risk in four of six at-risk industrial sectors, but the pandemic wave only modified the risk among healthcare employees, where the excess risk from a high initial level declined to background levels during the latest waves in models not adjusting for COVID-19 vaccination. In social care, education and transport, the elevated risk was not modified by pandemic wave. Conclusion Danish healthcare employees were to some extent protected against occupational transmission of SARS-CoV-2 during the two last pandemic waves even though the absolute risk conferred by occupation may not have been eliminated. Early vaccination of this group seems not to be the only explanation. The risk in other sectors remained elevated indicating a need to revisit preventive measures.

KW - cohort study

KW - epidemiology

KW - industry

KW - ISCO-08

KW - job

KW - NACE

KW - SARS-CoV-2

U2 - 10.5271/sjweh.4056

DO - 10.5271/sjweh.4056

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 36107639

AN - SCOPUS:85140828894

VL - 48

SP - 672

EP - 677

JO - Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health

JF - Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health

SN - 0355-3140

IS - 8

ER -