[Occupational differences of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality in Germany. An analysis of health insurance data from 3.17 million insured persons]. / Berufsbedingte Unterschiede bei COVID-19-Morbidität und -Mortalität in Deutschland. Eine Analyse von Krankenkassendaten von 3,17 Mio. Versicherten.

INTRODUCTION: During the COVID-19 pandemic, occupation was assumed to play a central role in the occurrence of infection and disease. For Germany, however, there are only a few studies that analyse occupational differences in risk of COVID-19, COVID-19-associated hospitalisation, and mortality. METHODS: The study uses longitudinal health insurance data from the research database of the Institute for Applied Health Research (InGef) with information on 3.17 million insured persons aged 18-67 years (1,488,452 women; 1,684,705 men). Outcomes (morbidity, hospitalisation, and mortality) were determined on the basis of submitted COVID-19 diagnoses between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2021. Occupations were classified according to four groupings of the official German classification of occupations. In addition to cumulative incidences, relative risks (RR) were calculated - separately for men and women. RESULTS: There is an increased risk of disease in personal service occupations, especially in health care, compared to other occupations (RR for women 1.46; for men 1.30). The same applies to social and cultural service occupations (but only for women) and for manufacturing occupations (only for men). In addition, the risks for hospitalisation and mortality are increased for cleaning occupations and transport and logistics occupations (especially for men). For all three outcomes, the risks are higher in non-managerial occupations and differ by skill level (highest for unskilled jobs and lowest for expert positions). CONCLUSION: The study provides important findings on work- and gender-related differences in COVID-19 morbidity and mortality in Germany, which indicate starting points for structural infection protection measures.

Irritation, General and Pandemic-Related Demands, and the Importance of Workplace Health Promotion in Long-Term Care-Results From a Survey of Managers in Outpatient and Inpatient Long-Term Care Facilities in Germany.

OBJECTIVE: This study examines the association between irritation and demands of long-term care managers during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the role of workplace health promotion (WHP). METHODS: Findings were derived from an online survey investigating long-term care managers as part of the employees in the COVID-19 pandemic (N = 207). Data analyses were performed with linear regression and interaction analyses. RESULTS: For managers in long-term care, there was found a significant positive association between pandemic-related and general demands and irritation. The irritation level was significantly lower among managers in facilities where WHP was offered whereas the association between irritation and demands did not significantly vary by WHP. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of WHP was associated with lower average irritation levels among managers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, the implementation of WHP can contribute to maintain the well-being of long-term care managers.