tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep
. 2020 Nov 6;69(44):1648-1653.
doi: 10.15585/mmwr.mm6944a4.
Telework Before Illness Onset Among Symptomatic Adults Aged ≥18 Years With and Without COVID-19 in 11 Outpatient Health Care Facilities - United States, July 2020
Kiva A Fisher, Samantha M Olson, Mark W Tenforde, Leora R Feldstein, Christopher J Lindsell, Nathan I Shapiro, D Clark Files, Kevin W Gibbs, Heidi L Erickson, Matthew E Prekker, Jay S Steingrub, Matthew C Exline, Daniel J Henning, Jennifer G Wilson, Samuel M Brown, Ithan D Peltan, Todd W Rice, David N Hager, Adit A Ginde, H Keipp Talbot, Jonathan D Casey, Carlos G Grijalva, Brendan Flannery, Manish M Patel, Wesley H Self, IVY Network Investigators; CDC COVID-19 Response Team
Collaborators, Affiliations
Abstract
Since March 2020, large-scale efforts to reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), have continued. Mitigation measures to reduce workplace exposures have included work site policies to support flexible work site options, including telework, whereby employees work remotely without commuting to a central place of work.* Opportunities to telework have varied across industries among U.S. jobs where telework options are feasible (1). However, little is known about the impact of telework on risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection. A case-control investigation was conducted to compare telework between eligible symptomatic persons who received positive SARS-CoV-2 reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test results (case-patients, 153) and symptomatic persons with negative test results (control-participants, 161). Eligible participants were identified in outpatient health care facilities during July 2020. Among employed participants who reported on their telework status during the 2 weeks preceding illness onset (248), the percentage who were able to telework on a full- or part-time basis was lower among case-patients (35%; 42 of 120) than among control-participants (53%; 68 of 128) (p<0.01). Case-patients were more likely than were control-participants to have reported going exclusively to an office or school setting (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.8; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.2-2.7) in the 2 weeks before illness onset. The association was also observed when further restricting to the 175 participants who reported working in a profession outside the critical infrastructure[SUP]†[/SUP] (aOR = 2.1; 95% CI = 1.3-3.6). Providing the option to work from home or telework when possible, is an important consideration for reducing the risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection. In industries where telework options are not available, worker safety measures should continue to be scaled up to reduce possible worksite exposures.
. 2020 Nov 6;69(44):1648-1653.
doi: 10.15585/mmwr.mm6944a4.
Telework Before Illness Onset Among Symptomatic Adults Aged ≥18 Years With and Without COVID-19 in 11 Outpatient Health Care Facilities - United States, July 2020
Kiva A Fisher, Samantha M Olson, Mark W Tenforde, Leora R Feldstein, Christopher J Lindsell, Nathan I Shapiro, D Clark Files, Kevin W Gibbs, Heidi L Erickson, Matthew E Prekker, Jay S Steingrub, Matthew C Exline, Daniel J Henning, Jennifer G Wilson, Samuel M Brown, Ithan D Peltan, Todd W Rice, David N Hager, Adit A Ginde, H Keipp Talbot, Jonathan D Casey, Carlos G Grijalva, Brendan Flannery, Manish M Patel, Wesley H Self, IVY Network Investigators; CDC COVID-19 Response Team
Collaborators, Affiliations
- PMID: 33151918
- DOI: 10.15585/mmwr.mm6944a4
Abstract
Since March 2020, large-scale efforts to reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), have continued. Mitigation measures to reduce workplace exposures have included work site policies to support flexible work site options, including telework, whereby employees work remotely without commuting to a central place of work.* Opportunities to telework have varied across industries among U.S. jobs where telework options are feasible (1). However, little is known about the impact of telework on risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection. A case-control investigation was conducted to compare telework between eligible symptomatic persons who received positive SARS-CoV-2 reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test results (case-patients, 153) and symptomatic persons with negative test results (control-participants, 161). Eligible participants were identified in outpatient health care facilities during July 2020. Among employed participants who reported on their telework status during the 2 weeks preceding illness onset (248), the percentage who were able to telework on a full- or part-time basis was lower among case-patients (35%; 42 of 120) than among control-participants (53%; 68 of 128) (p<0.01). Case-patients were more likely than were control-participants to have reported going exclusively to an office or school setting (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.8; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.2-2.7) in the 2 weeks before illness onset. The association was also observed when further restricting to the 175 participants who reported working in a profession outside the critical infrastructure[SUP]†[/SUP] (aOR = 2.1; 95% CI = 1.3-3.6). Providing the option to work from home or telework when possible, is an important consideration for reducing the risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection. In industries where telework options are not available, worker safety measures should continue to be scaled up to reduce possible worksite exposures.