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Volume 29, Number 12—December 2023
Research

Work Attendance with Acute Respiratory Illness Before and During COVID-19 Pandemic, United States, 2018–2022

Faruque AhmedComments to Author , Mary Patricia Nowalk, Richard K. Zimmerman, Todd Bear, Carlos G. Grijalva, H. Keipp Talbot, Ana Florea, Sara Y. Tartof, Manjusha Gaglani, Michael Smith, Huong Q. McLean, Jennifer P. King, Emily T. Martin, Arnold S. Monto, C. Hallie Phillips, Karen J. Wernli, Brendan Flannery, Jessie R. Chung, and Amra Uzicanin
Author affiliations: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA (F. Ahmed, B. Flannery, J.R. Chung, A. Uzicanin); University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA (M.P. Nowalk, R.K. Zimmerman, T. Bear); Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA (C.G. Grijalva, H.K. Talbot); Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, California, USA (A. Florea, S.Y. Tartof); Texas A&M University College of Medicine, Temple (M. Gaglani); Baylor Scott and White Health, Temple, Texas, USA (M. Gaglani, M. Smith); Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, Marshfield, Wisconsin, USA (H.Q. McLean, J.P. King); University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA (E.T. Martin, A.S. Monto); Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute, Seattle, Washington, USA (C.H. Phillips, K.J. Wernli)

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Table 3

Likelihood of working onsite among adults with influenza, COVID-19, or other acute respiratory illness who were scheduled to work, by work experience in a typical week before illness onset, United States, 2018–2022*

Category Day before illness, n = 3,546 Day 1 of illness, n = 5,024 Day 2 of illness, n = 4,790 Day 3 of illness, n = 4,686
Prepandemic influenza seasons
Work experience
Hybrid 77.3 (187/242)† 52.2 (234/448)† 42.8 (186/435) 36.9 (158/428)‡
Onsite only 91.0 (1,015/1,116) 63.1 (1,305/2,067) 45.5 (882/1,937) 43.4 (814/1,876)
aOR (95% CI)¶
 0.33 (0.22–0.48)#
 0.62 (0.49–0.77)
 0.90 (0.72–1.13)
 0.69 (0.54–0.87)
COVID-19 pandemic period
Work experience
Hybrid 57.0 (317/556)† 33.2 (212/638)† 14.4 (92/640)† 14.3 (89/624)†
Onsite only 87.8 (1,432/1,632) 59.3 (1,110/1,871) 33.4 (594/1,778) 29.3 (515/1,758)
aOR (95% CI)¶
 0.16 (0.13–0.21)
 0.33 (0.27–0.41)
 0.35 (0.27–0.46)
 0.38 (0.29–0.49)
Hybrid
Period
COVID-19 pandemic 57.0 (317/556)† 33.2 (212/638)† 14.4 (92/640)† 14.3(89/624)†
Prepandemic influenza seasons 77.3 (187/242) 52.2 (234/448) 42.8 (186/435) 36.9 (158/428)
aOR (95% CI)¶
 0.38 (0.27–0.55)
 0.52 (0.40–0.68)
 0.27 (0.20–0.37)
 0.32 (0.23–0.45)
Onsite only
Period
COVID-19 pandemic 87.8 (1,432/1,632)§ 59.3 (1,110/1,871)‡ 33.4 (594/1,778)† 29.3 (515/1,758)†
Prepandemic influenza seasons 91.0 (1,015/1,116) 63.1 (1,305/2,067) 45.5 (882/1,937) 43.4 (814/1,876)
aOR (95% CI)¶ 0.77 (0.59–1.01) 0.96 (0.83–1.11) 0.69 (0.60–0.80) 0.59 (0.51–0.69)

*Values are percentage (no. persons worked onsite/no. persons scheduled to work) except as indicated. Worked onsite represents onsite only or hybrid work location. We excluded persons with only remote work experience before illness onset (560 for day before illness, 676 for day 1, 689 for day 2, and 677 for day 3) and those with missing work location (41 for day before illness, 74 for day 1, 55 for day 2, and 50 for day 3). aOR, adjusted odds ratio. †p<0.001 (comparison of % working onsite for specified day). ‡p<0.05 (comparison of % working onsite for specified day). §p<0.01 (comparison of % working onsite for specified day). ¶Dependent variable in the multilevel logistic regression models is worked onsite on a specified day (0 = did not work or worked remotely only, 1 = worked onsite [onsite only or hybrid]). Independent variables are work experience in a typical week before illness onset (0 = onsite only, 1 = hybrid), study period (0 = Prepandemic influenza seasons, 1 = COVID-19 pandemic period), PCR test result (0 = Other acute respiratory illness, 1 = Influenza or COVID-19), race/ethnicity, general health before illness, current smoker, type of employment, healthcare personnel, hours worked in a typical week before illness, employees discouraged from coming to work with flu-like symptoms, and study site. We excluded persons with missing information for independent variables (173 for day before illness, 237 for day 1, 247 for day 2, and 216 for day 3) in addition to those mentioned above. p<0.01 for work experience study period interaction term for day before illness; p<0.001 for work experience study period interaction term for days 1–3 of illness. #For the October 2019–March 2020 prepandemic influenza season when all participating sites collected data on work status and location of work on the day before illness onset, aOR for the day before illness = 0.35 (95% CI 0.22–0.57).

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Page created: November 02, 2023
Page updated: November 18, 2023
Page reviewed: November 18, 2023
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