Impacts of COVID-19 on sick leave

Aim To explore sick leave after COVID-19, by comparing doctor-certified sick leave for up to 6 months after testing for SARS-CoV-2 across employees who tested positive and negative. Methods In all persons (20-70 year of age) with an employment contract, who were tested for the SARS-CoV-2 in Norway from March 1 st to November 1 st 2020 (N=740 182 with mean [SD] age 39 [13] years, 44% men), we used a difference-in-difference design to contrast doctor-certified sick leave before and after testing, across employees with negative test and positive test by age and sex groups. Results Sick leave for those testing positive (N=11 414) remained elevated for up to 2 months after testing when compared to those testing negative (N= 728 768), for men and women aged 20-44 and for men aged 45-70 years (relative increase in sick-leave ∼344-415%, (B all strata =0.079, 95% CI=0.076, 0.082). The increase in sick leave was prolonged for women aged 45-70 years only, persisting for up to 4 months after testing positive (relative increase = 35%, B=0.010, 95% CI=0.004-0.035). Conclusion Sick leave following COVID-19 is elevated for up to two to four months after initial infection, thereafter not elevated compared with employees who tested negative for COVID-19. Women aged 45-70 years tend to have a larger impact of COVID-19 on their work ability than men and younger women.