P-014 Sick Leave Due to Sars-Cov-2 Infection

Abstract Introduction COVID-19 caused a high burden of sick leave worldwide. Long-term sick leave for COVID-19 may be longer than for other influenza-like syndromes. The real impact of COVID on absenteeism remains uncertain. The aim of our study was to investigate the burden of sick leave, especially 12 weeks, in Belgian workers with a positive PCR test for SARS-CoV-2 from July 2020 to September 2021 and to compare these figures with sick leave for other infectious diseases. Methods We coupled a database of SARS-CoV-2–positive workers and workers who were absent for other infections with objective absence data. Predictors of prolonged sickness were evaluated by negative binomial regression, Cox proportional-hazards regression and ordinal logistic regression. Results The study population involved 2569 workers who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and 392 workers who were absent for other infectious diseases. In total, 16% (95%CI: 14-17%) of workers with a positive SARS-CoV-2 test had no sick leave registered. The prevalence of long-term sick leave was 1.39% (95%CI: 0.94-1.97) in workers with COVID-19 and 4.34% (95%CI: 2.55-6.85) in workers with other infectious diseases. When including PCR-positive workers without sick leave, the prevalence of long-term sick leave decreased to 1.17% (95%CI: 0.79-1.66). Long sick leave was associated with older age, high previous sick leave and low educational level. Discussion and conclusion The prevalence of long-term sick leave was lower than estimated in earlier investigations, regardless of worrying reports about post-COVID-19 syndrome.