German study finds health care workers stop working because of COVID vaccines
Other nations should learn from this research, especially with nurse shortages
This is the title of the new study: “Inability to work following COVID-19 vaccination among healthcare workers - an important aspect for future booster vaccinations.” Here are some excerpts.
Background COVID-19 vaccination is a key prevention strategy to reduce the spread and severity of SARS-CoV-2 infections, especially among highly exposed healthcare workers (HCWs). However, vaccine-related inability to work among HCWs could overstrain healthcare systems.
Methods This study examined sick leave and intake of pro re nata (PRN) medication after the first, second and third COVID-19 vaccination in HCWs. Subgroup analyses were performed for different vaccines, gender, healthcare professions, and for HCWs aged at least 30 years. Data was collected by using an electronic questionnaire.
Findings Among 1,704 HCWs enrolled, in total 595 (34·9%) HCWs were on sick leave following at least one COVID-19 vaccination, leading to a total number of 1,550 sick days. Both the absolute sick days and the rate of HCWs on sick leave significantly increased with each subsequent vaccination. Comparing BNT162b2mRNA and mRNA-1273 the difference in sick leave was not significant after the second dose, but mRNA-1273 induced a significantly longer and more frequent sick leave after the third.
Interpretation A considerable number of HCWs have been on sick leave after COVID-19 vaccination, staff absences increase with each additional dose, depend on the vaccine, and vary between HCWs’ gender, and profession. In the light of further COVID-19 infection waves and booster vaccinations, there is a risk of additional staff shortages due to post-vaccination inability to work, which could acutely overload healthcare systems and jeopardise patient care. These findings will aid further vaccination campaigns to minimise the impact of staff absences on the healthcare system.
Added value of this study
This study presents the first large-scale, real-world analysis of sickness-related absence following COVID-19 vaccination in HCWs, particularly after administration of a third vaccine dose. The data shows that the rate of sick leaves increased with the number of vaccinations. In the comparison of mRNA-based vaccines, mRNA-1273 caused higher rates of inability to work than BNT162b2mRNA.
Implications of the available evidence
Particularly in view of further COVID-19 booster vaccinations in the context of emerging virus variants of concerns (VOC) and upcoming SARS-CoV-2 infection peaks, sick days following COVID-19 vaccination need to be taken into account. The selected cohort of HCWs is highly exposed and absences of HCWs will have a direct impact on public health capacity. Our results will inform the design of vaccination campaigns and provide a rational for optimisation measures such as the staggering of vaccination offers.
