Institute of Medical Sociology, Centre for Health and Society, Medical Faculty and University Hospital, Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf Moorenstrasse 5, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
Scand J Work Environ Health. 2022 Sep 1;48(6):446-456. doi: 10.5271/sjweh.4037. Epub 2022 Jun 7.
The aim of this study was to identify the occupational risk for a SARS-CoV-2 infection in a nationwide sample of German workers during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (1 February-31 August 2020).
We used the data of 108 960 workers who participated in a COVID follow-up survey of the German National Cohort (NAKO). Occupational characteristics were derived from the German Classification of Occupations 2010 (Klassifikation der Berufe 2010). PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections were assessed from self-reports. Incidence rates (IR) and incidence rate ratios (IRR) were estimated using robust Poisson regression, adjusted for person-time at risk, age, sex, migration background, study center, working hours, and employment relationship.
The IR was 3.7 infections per 1000 workers [95% confidence interval (CI) 3.3-4.1]. IR differed by occupational sector, with the highest rates observed in personal (IR 4.8, 95% CI 4.0-5.6) and business administration (IR 3.4, 95% CI 2.8-3.9) services and the lowest rates in occupations related to the production of goods (IR 2.0, 95% CI 1.5-2.6). Infections were more frequent among essential workers compared with workers in non-essential occupations (IRR 1.95, 95% CI 1.59-2.40) and among highly skilled compared with skilled professions (IRR 1.36, 95% CI 1.07-1.72).
The results emphasize higher infection risks in essential occupations and personal-related services, especially in the healthcare sector. Additionally, we found evidence that infections were more common in higher occupational status positions at the beginning of the pandemic.
本研究旨在确定 2020 年 COVID-19 大流行第一波期间（2 月 1 日至 8 月 31 日）德国全国范围内工人感染 SARS-CoV-2 的职业风险。
我们使用了参加德国国家队列（NAKO）COVID 随访调查的 108960 名工人的数据。职业特征来自 2010 年德国职业分类（Klassifikation der Berufe 2010）。通过自我报告评估聚合酶链反应（PCR）确诊的 SARS-CoV-2 感染。使用稳健泊松回归估计发病率（IR）和发病率比值（IRR），并调整了风险人时、年龄、性别、移民背景、研究中心、工作时间和雇佣关系。
工人的 IR 为每 1000 名工人 3.7 例感染（95%置信区间[CI]为 3.3-4.1）。IR 因职业部门而异，个人（IR 4.8，95%CI 4.0-5.6）和商业管理（IR 3.4，95%CI 2.8-3.9）服务业的感染率最高，与生产相关的职业（IR 2.0，95%CI 1.5-2.6）的感染率最低。与非必要职业的工人相比，基本工人（IRR 1.95，95%CI 1.59-2.40）和高技能工人（IRR 1.36，95%CI 1.07-1.72）感染更为频繁。
这些结果强调了基本职业和个人相关服务中的感染风险更高，尤其是在医疗保健部门。此外，我们发现证据表明，在大流行初期，高职业地位的感染更为普遍。
