| Abstract |
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a growing literature on COVID and work (1). Major editorials (2–4) and reports from international associations and agencies (5–8) have highlighted the importance of occupational health research in COVID-19 prevention and management. Occupational health research has focused on specific worker populations with high prevalence of COVID-19, particularly healthcare workers, and has studied the associations between different work exposures to SARS-CoV-2 and incidence of COVID-19. Some countries have also begun to provide workers’ compensation for occupationally-acquired COVID-19 (9–13). Return to work (RTW) following COVID-19 is another crucial topic that has been studied among patients with severe cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection in different countries (14–18). Clinicians have also observed patients who suffer from persistent symptoms following COVID-19, often called “long-COVID” (19). Through analyses of large health databases, a variety of post-acute sequelae among patients with COVID-19 have been identified, including malaise, fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, anemia, and other respiratory, neurocognitive, mental health, metabolic, cardiovascular, and gastrointestinal disorders (20). The World Health Organization defined a “post COVID-19 condition” among individuals with a history of probable or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection with symptoms continuing three months from the onset of COVID-19 infection, which last for at least two months, and which cannot be explained by an alternative diagnosis (21). Common symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, cognitive dysfunction, and generally have a significant impact on everyday functioning. Symptoms may be of new onset following initial recovery from an acute COVID-19 episode or persist from the initial illness. Symptoms may also fluctuate or relapse over time. The “Global Burden of Disease Long COVID Collaborators”, a worldwide collaboration, defined three main post-COVID condition symptoms: (i) persistent ...
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