COVID-19 accounted for rather more absenteeism than influenza amongst Greek healthcare personnel (HCP) with low vaccine uptake in 2022 and 2023, highlighting the necessity to keep present with vaccinations in opposition to each ailments, in accordance with an observational examine led by a Nationwide Public Well being Group researcher in Athens.
For the examine, printed yesterday within the American Journal of An infection Management, the researchers examined symptomatic HCP at 4 hospitals for COVID-19 and flu from November 2022 to Might 2023 to estimate the variety of missed workdays by illness kind. The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant was predominant in the course of the examine interval.
“To our data, that is the primary examine to match the burden of COVID-19 and seasonal influenza amongst HCP utilizing knowledge from the identical season,” the authors wrote.
COVID tied to 2 extra days of sick time
A complete of 9.2% of HCP have been totally vaccinated, and 90.8% have been partially vaccinated, in opposition to COVID-19. Flu vaccination protection was 23.1%. HCP with flu have been much less prone to be present with the flu vaccine than unvaccinated employees with COVID-19 (14.0% vs 26.2%).
In complete, 4,245 missed workdays have been related to COVID-19, in contrast with 333 for flu.
Amongst 5,752 HCP, 734 COVID-19 (incidence, 12.8%) and 93 flu (1.6%) instances have been detected. Two COVID-infected HCP have been hospitalized for 4 and 5 days, respectively.
The common variety of workdays missed was 5.8 for COVID-19 and three.6 for flu. In complete, 4,245 missed workdays have been related to COVID-19, in contrast with 333 for flu. Analyses estimated that, on common, HCP with COVID-19 have been absent for 1.91 extra days than these with flu.
“The shorter period of labor absence amongst HCP with influenza than these with COVID-19 could also be attributed to the milder medical course of influenza, the actual seasonal influenza pressure, and to variations in absenteeism insurance policies,” the researchers wrote. “Certainly, though post-COVID-19 isolation isn’t obligatory as within the first pandemic waves, a five-days go away is frequent apply for HCP in Greece. In distinction, there aren’t any official suggestions for HCP recognized with influenza.”
The findings underscore the worth of COVID-19 and flu vaccination in defending HCP well being and defending healthcare providers from absenteeism, they concluded.
