Differences in health status among workers who acquired COVID-19 at work compared to workers who sustained a non-COVID-19 work-related injury or illness, 18-months post-injury/infection.

Objective: To compare the physical and mental health status of workers who experienced work-related COVID-19 infections versus workers with other types of work-related injuries, 18 months after the initial work absence. Methods: We collected survey data from 1,000 workers with workers’ compensation claims between July and October 2022, and examined differences in seven self-reported physical and mental health outcomes. Potential outcome mediation models examined factors associated with observed differences in health outcomes. Results: We observed better self-rated health, physical role function, and less psychological distress among respondents with COVID-19 compared to non-COVID-19 claims. Reporting a disagreement with the workers’ compensation agency partially explained these differences. Conclusions: Despite concern over the long-term health impacts of COVID-19 infections, workers with COVID-19 infections reported similar or better health than those with non-COVID-19 work-related injuries, 18 months later.