SARS-CoV-2 pandemic among Mexico´s private sector workforce: using short-term disability claims to analyze impact and response

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected workforces around the world, on both the individual and business levels. This impact has not yet been described adequately. AIM: To analyze the impact of COVID-19 among workers and businesses using short term disability claims (STDC). METHODS: Our analysis is derived from the national data base STDC submitted to the Mexican Institute of Social Security (the largest health care and benefits provider) by private-sector workers and eligible government-owned companies. We analyzed absenteeism trends evaluated through respiratory diseases-STDC (RD-STDC) among the different occupational sectors for 19,112,620 workers registered up to December 31, 2020. RESULTS:A total of 1,543,600 workers claimed at least one RD-STDC. Up to year week 53, 1.7 million RD-STDC were reported, with an estimated cumulative incidence of 8.0%. The mean age of workers was 35.2 years (Interquartile Range [IQR] = 26- 43 years); 53.4% were male. The average duration of the STD granted was 10.1 days [IQR= 3 - 14 days]. Higher RD-STD-attack rates were observed in Trade (9.9%) and Manufacturing (9.8%). Health care-related subsectors had RD-STDC attack rates of 15.1% for private health care workers. During 2020, 16.9 million total workdays were lost. Real symptomatic COVID-19 attack rates could be 3 or 4 times higher. CONCLUSIONS:Our findings point to the necessity of establishing an integrated surveillance system in which STDC can help geo-localize chains of contagion that would otherwise proliferate undetected. Information provided by this system will complement surveillance systems for monitoring epidemics and informing decision-making of by health authorities. KEYWORDS: Short term disability claims, COVID-19, occupational, Mexico