Occupational risk of COVID-19 in foreign-born employees in Denmark
(2024) In Occupational Medicine 74(1). p.63-70- Abstract
BACKGROUND: Foreign-born workers in high-income countries experience higher rates of COVID-19 but the causes are only partially known.
AIMS: To examine if the occupational risk of COVID-19 in foreign-born workers deviates from the risk in native-born employees in Denmark.
METHODS: Within a registry-based cohort of all residents employed in Denmark (n = 2 451 542), we identified four-digit DISCO-08 occupations associated with an increased incidence of COVID-19-related hospital admission during 2020-21 (at-risk occupations). The sex-specific prevalence of at-risk employment in foreign born was compared with the prevalence in native born. Moreover, we examined if the country of birth modified the risk of a positive SARS-CoV-2... (More)
BACKGROUND: Foreign-born workers in high-income countries experience higher rates of COVID-19 but the causes are only partially known.
AIMS: To examine if the occupational risk of COVID-19 in foreign-born workers deviates from the risk in native-born employees in Denmark.
METHODS: Within a registry-based cohort of all residents employed in Denmark (n = 2 451 542), we identified four-digit DISCO-08 occupations associated with an increased incidence of COVID-19-related hospital admission during 2020-21 (at-risk occupations). The sex-specific prevalence of at-risk employment in foreign born was compared with the prevalence in native born. Moreover, we examined if the country of birth modified the risk of a positive SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test and COVID-19-related hospital admission in at-risk occupations.
RESULTS: Workers born in low-income countries and male workers from Eastern Europe more often worked in at-risk occupations (relative risks between 1.16 [95% confidence interval {CI} 1.14-1.17] and 1.87 [95% CI 1.82-1.90]). Being foreign-born modified the adjusted risk of PCR test positivity (test for interaction P < 0.0001), primarily because of higher risk in at-risk occupations among men born in Eastern European countries (incidence rate ratio [IRR] 2.39 [95% CI 2.09-2.72] versus IRR 1.19 [95% CI 1.14-1.23] in native-born men). For COVID-19-related hospital admission, no overall interaction was seen, and in women, country of birth did not consistently modify the occupational risk.
CONCLUSIONS: Workplace viral transmission may contribute to an excess risk of COVID-19 in male workers born in Eastern Europe, but most foreign-born employees in at-risk occupations seem not to be at higher occupational risk than native born.
(Less)
- author
- organization
- publishing date
- 2024-01
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- Occupational Medicine
- volume
- 74
- issue
- 1
- pages
- 8 pages
- publisher
- Oxford University Press
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:37133767
- scopus:85185400145
- ISSN
- 0962-7480
- DOI
- 10.1093/occmed/kqad044
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 6bbca5d3-ea55-4f9b-9dc6-49aa145a405c
- date added to LUP
- 2023-05-15 09:49:37
- date last changed
- 2024-10-17 08:47:19
@article{6bbca5d3-ea55-4f9b-9dc6-49aa145a405c, abstract = {{<p>BACKGROUND: Foreign-born workers in high-income countries experience higher rates of COVID-19 but the causes are only partially known.</p><p>AIMS: To examine if the occupational risk of COVID-19 in foreign-born workers deviates from the risk in native-born employees in Denmark.</p><p>METHODS: Within a registry-based cohort of all residents employed in Denmark (n = 2 451 542), we identified four-digit DISCO-08 occupations associated with an increased incidence of COVID-19-related hospital admission during 2020-21 (at-risk occupations). The sex-specific prevalence of at-risk employment in foreign born was compared with the prevalence in native born. Moreover, we examined if the country of birth modified the risk of a positive SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test and COVID-19-related hospital admission in at-risk occupations.</p><p>RESULTS: Workers born in low-income countries and male workers from Eastern Europe more often worked in at-risk occupations (relative risks between 1.16 [95% confidence interval {CI} 1.14-1.17] and 1.87 [95% CI 1.82-1.90]). Being foreign-born modified the adjusted risk of PCR test positivity (test for interaction P < 0.0001), primarily because of higher risk in at-risk occupations among men born in Eastern European countries (incidence rate ratio [IRR] 2.39 [95% CI 2.09-2.72] versus IRR 1.19 [95% CI 1.14-1.23] in native-born men). For COVID-19-related hospital admission, no overall interaction was seen, and in women, country of birth did not consistently modify the occupational risk.</p><p>CONCLUSIONS: Workplace viral transmission may contribute to an excess risk of COVID-19 in male workers born in Eastern Europe, but most foreign-born employees in at-risk occupations seem not to be at higher occupational risk than native born.</p>}}, author = {{Bonde, J P E and Begtrup, L M and Jensen, J H and Flachs, E M and Jakobsson, K and Nielsen, C and Nilsson, K and Rylander, L and Vilhelmsson, A and Petersen, K U and Tøttenborg, S S}}, issn = {{0962-7480}}, language = {{eng}}, number = {{1}}, pages = {{63--70}}, publisher = {{Oxford University Press}}, series = {{Occupational Medicine}}, title = {{Occupational risk of COVID-19 in foreign-born employees in Denmark}}, url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqad044}}, doi = {{10.1093/occmed/kqad044}}, volume = {{74}}, year = {{2024}}, }