Epidemiological profile of work-related Covid-19 in Brazil, 2020-2021

Abstract

Covid-19 is the newest occupational disease, and its transmission patterns can lead to high rates among workers. This work aims to describe the epidemiological profile of work-related Covid-19 cases in Brazil. Methods: Descriptive study using notifications of work accidents by Covid-19 (B34.2) from 2020 and 2021. Data were collected from the Notifiable Diseases Information System (Sinan). Absolute and relative frequencies of sociodemographic characteristics and occupation groups were presented, and Incidence Rates (IR) per 100,000 workers calculated. Results: In 2020 and 2021, 70,618 cases of work-related Covid-19 were reported, with a mean IR of 37.2 cases per 100,000 workers. Most cases occurred among women (65.1%), brown (36.1%) or white (33.0%), aged between 35-39y (17.4%) and 40-44y (15.4%), with more than 8 years of study (60.2%). The most affected workers were nursing technicians or assistants (25.6%), followed by nurses (10.0%), doctors (5.1%), and administrative agents, assistants or auxiliaries (5.1%). Approximately 70.1% cases progressed clinically to cure, 14.5% to temporary disability and 2.0% to death caused by Covid-19. Conclusions: Covid-19 has driven several physical, social and economic impacts to workers globally. In Brazil, frontline workers, particularly healthcare workers, appear to have a high probability of infection. Lack or misuse of protective equipment, workplaces with person-to-person physical contact, inadequate ventilation, shared eating, and accommodation areas, can be considered the main causes of outbreaks of Covid-19 at work. Despite most cases has progressed to cure, the impacts of long Covid-19 are still unknown and must be further investigated.