Post-COVID symptoms and work status 18 months following work-related COVID-19

Background: A proportion of the working population sustained COVID-19 infections due to exposures at work, but the association between persistent post-COVID symptoms and work status is unknown. Aims: To describe symptoms associated with work-related COVID-19 infections, 18 months post-infection, and examine the relationship between symptoms and working status. Methods: Survey data was collected from 605 respondents with accepted workers' compensation claims in Ontario, Canada, for COVID-19 infections, 18 months after their infection. Information collected included COVID-19 symptoms in the last 4 weeks, current work status and several potential confounders. Symptom clusters were created using latent class analysis, and multinomial logistic regression examined the relationship between symptom clusters and work status. Results: Four symptom clusters were identified: no symptoms (n = 349, 59%); high burden of constitutional symptoms with moderate burden of neuropsychiatric and respiratory symptoms (n = 97, 16%); low burden of constitutional symptoms with moderate burden of neuropsychiatric and respiratory symptoms (n = 100, 17%); and high burden across all symptom domains (n = 51, 9%). Compared to respondents with no symptoms, those in the high burden group across all symptoms were more likely to be not working at 18 months post-infection (OR = 4.27, 95% CI 1.77-10.29). Conclusions: For a proportion of workers, COVID-19 symptoms persist following a work-related infection. Managing work disability among those with high constitutional symptoms represents an important strategy to support return-to-work.