The following is a summary of “Health Care Personnel Workdays Lost and Direct Health Care Salary Costs Incurred due to COVID-19 Infection in the Age of Widespread Vaccine Availability,” published in the May 2024 issue of Infectious Diseases by Townsend et al.
Widespread COVID-19 vaccination among healthcare workers (HCWs) is a critical strategy in reducing infections and protecting the healthcare workforce.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to assess the impact of illness on HCWs in COVID-19 burden and associated costs within a context of widespread vaccine availability.
They tracked HCWs for 8 months (January to August 2023) and documented COVID-19 infections, symptoms, missed workdays, and vaccination records. Workdays missed due to sickness were utilized to compute direct healthcare personnel costs from COVID-19 infection. Univariate analysis and multivariable regression explored factors linked to lost workdays and direct healthcare personnel costs.
The results showed 1,218 participants were enrolled and monitored for 8 months, with 266 cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, 1191 workdays lost, and healthcare personnel costs of €397,974. Multivariable regression indicated that an incomplete primary COVID-19 vaccination course was linked to workdays lost. Unvaccinated, older, and male were associated with increased healthcare personnel costs.
Investigators concluded that incomplete vaccination remained a key driver of HCW’s workday loss and associated system burden.
Source: academic.oup.com/jid/advance-article/doi/10.1093/infdis/jiae223/7675214
