COVID-19-related temporary disability in healthcare workers in Spain during the four first pandemic waves.

Healthcare workers (HCW) have been the professional category most exposed to SARS-CoV-2. The pandemic's impact on HCW was analyzed in terms of COVID-19-related temporary disability (TD) between February 15th, 2020 and May 1st, 2021. TDs in HCW for COVID-19 infection or quarantine were described. TD quarantine/infection ratios and TDs per 100,000 affiliated HCW were compared with the cumulative incidence (CI) of COVID-19 cases notified to the National Network of Epidemiological Surveillance. TDs rates by economic activity and occupation were computed. A total of 429,127 TDs were recorded, 36,6% for infection. Three-quarters (76%) were women. The median TD quarantine/infection ratio was 2.5 (Interquartile range [IQR] 1.5-3.9). TDs rates in HCW were always above the CI except for the last two months of the fourth wave. Hospital activities accounted for 84% of TDs and showed the highest TD rate for infection (8,279/100,000). Nursing professionals and midwifery, Physicians, and Nursing assistants accounted for 26, 18 and 17 % of the conceded TD respectively, whereas the highest TDs rates were registered among Nursing assistants, Nursing professionals and Physicians: 7,426, 6,925 and 5,508/100,000, respectively. The results indicate the high impact of COVID-19 on HCW in Spain and it's inequalities. They also confirm that TDs represent a complementary source of information for epidemiological and public health surveillance and could provide an early warning of new emerging infections.

[Contribution of the occupational health to the COVID-19 pandemic control.] / Contribución de la salud laboral al control de la pandemia por covid-19 en España.

When the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 as a public health emergency of international concern, the Spanish Ministry of Health called the health, labor, social security authorities, Labor and Social Security Inspection, National Institute of Security and Occupational Health, employers, unions, occupational risk prevention services, mutual societies and scientific societies of occupational medicine and nursing, to collaborate in the control of the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in companies. The Occupational Health Group of the Public Health Commission of the Interterritorial Council of the National Health System, developed the Procedure for the prevention of occupational risks in the face of exposure to SARS-CoV-2, which has been updated 15 times until the date. It contains the prevention measures to be implemented in the workplaces: organizational and collective protection, personal protection, especially vulnerable worker and risk level, study and management of cases and contacts that occurred in the company, collaboration in the management of temporary disability and, more recently, reincorporation and management of vaccinated workers. As a result of these cooperation and collaboration frameworks, a series of activities were deployed in the workplace, which are described in this article.

Cuando la Organización Mundial de la Salud declaró la Covid-19 como una emergencia de salud pública de importancia internacional, el Ministerio de Sanidad convocó a las autoridades sanitarias, laborales, de seguridad social, Inspección de Trabajo y Seguridad Social, Instituto Nacional de Seguridad y Salud en el Trabajo, empresarios, sindicatos, servicios de prevención de riesgos laborales, mutuas y sociedades científicas de la medicina y enfermería del trabajo, para colaborar en el control de la transmisión del SARS-CoV-2 en el ámbito de las empresas. La Ponencia de Salud Laboral de la Comisión de Salud Pública del Consejo Interterritorial del Sistema Nacional de Salud, elaboró el Procedimiento para los servicios de prevención de riesgos laborales frente a la exposición al SARS-CoV-2, que se ha actualizado 15 veces hasta la fecha. En él se recogen las medidas de prevención a implantar en los centros de trabajo: de carácter organizativo y de protección colectiva, de protección personal, de trabajador especialmente vulnerable y nivel de riesgo, de estudio y manejo de casos y contactos ocurridos en la empresa, de colaboración en la gestión de la incapacidad temporal y, más recientemente, de reincorporación y gestión de las y los trabajadores vacunados. Como resultado de esos marcos de cooperación y colaboración se desplegaron una serie de actividades en los lugares de trabajo que son descritas en este artículo.