Health Care Workers' Sick Leave due to COVID-19 Vaccination in Context With SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Quarantine-A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Survey

Stilla Bauernfeind; Gunnar Huppertz; Karolina Mueller; Florian Hitzenbichler; Loredana Hardmann; Sylvia Pemmerl; Harald Hollnberger; Wolfgang Sieber; Matthias Wettstein; Stephan Seeliger; Klaus Kienle; Christian Paetzel; Norbert Kutz; Dionys Daller; Niels Zorger; Arno Mohr; Benedikt M J Lampl; Bernd Salzberger

doi:10.1093/ofid/ofac203

Health Care Workers' Sick Leave due to COVID-19 Vaccination in Context With SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Quarantine-A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Survey

Open Forum Infect Dis. 2022 Apr 14;9(7):ofac203. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofac203. eCollection 2022 Jul.

Authors

Stilla Bauernfeind¹, Gunnar Huppertz², Karolina Mueller², Florian Hitzenbichler¹, Loredana Hardmann¹, Sylvia Pemmerl³, Harald Hollnberger⁴, Wolfgang Sieber⁵, Matthias Wettstein⁶, Stephan Seeliger⁷, Klaus Kienle⁸, Christian Paetzel⁹, Norbert Kutz¹⁰, Dionys Daller¹¹, Niels Zorger¹², Arno Mohr¹³, Benedikt M J Lampl¹⁴, Bernd Salzberger¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Infection Prevention and Infectious Diseases, University Medical Center Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
² Center for Clinical Studies, University Medical Center Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
³ Caritas-Krankenhaus St. Josef, Regensburg, Germany.
⁴ Hospital St. Marien Amberg, Amberg, Germany.
⁵ Kreisklinik Woerth an der Donau, Woerth an der Donau, Germany.
⁶ Klinikum Passau, Passau, Germany.
⁷ Sankt Elisabeth, KJF Klinik, Neuburg an der Donau, Germany.
⁸ Rottal-Inn Kliniken, Eggenfelden, Germany.
⁹ Kliniken Nordoberpfalz AG, Weiden, Germany.
¹⁰ Goldbergklinik Kelheim, Kelheim, Germany.
¹¹ Klinik Bogen, Bogen, Germany.
¹² Hospital of the Order of St. John of God Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
¹³ Center for Pneumology, Donaustauf Hospital, Donaustauf, Germany.
¹⁴ Division of Infection Control and Prevention, Regensburg Department of Public Health, Regensburg, Germany.

Abstract

Background: Reactogenicity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines can result in inability to work. The object of this study was to evaluate health care workers' sick leave after COVID-19 vaccination and to compare it with sick leave due to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and quarantine leave.

Methods: A multicenter cross-sectional survey was conducted at Regensburg University Medical Center and 10 teaching hospitals in South-East Germany from July 28 to October 15, 2021.

Results: Of 2662 participants, 2309 (91.8%) were fully vaccinated without a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Sick leave after first/second vaccination occurred in 239 (10.4%) and 539 (23.3%) participants. In multivariable logistic regression, the adjusted odds ratio for sick leave after first/second vaccination compared with BNT162b2 was 2.26/3.72 for mRNA-1237 (95% CI, 1.28-4.01/1.99-6.96) and 27.82/0.48 for ChAdOx1-S (95% CI, 19.12-40.48/0.24-0.96). The actual median sick leave (interquartile range [IQR]) was 1 (0-2) day after any vaccination. Two hundred fifty-one participants (9.4%) reported a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection (median sick leave [IQR] 14 [10-21] days), 353 (13.3%) were quarantined at least once (median quarantine leave [IQR], 14 [10-14] days). Sick leave due to SARS-CoV-2 infection (4642 days) and quarantine leave (4710 days) accounted for 7.7 times more loss of workforce than actual sick leave after first and second vaccination (1216 days) in all fully vaccinated participants.

Conclusions: Sick leave after COVID-19 vaccination is frequent and is associated with the vaccine applied. COVID-19 vaccination should reduce the much higher proportion of loss of workforce due to SARS-CoV-2 infection and quarantine.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2 infection; quarantine; sick leave; vaccine reactogenicity.