COVID-19 infection among Ontario workers based on PCR test results

The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on workers and posed challenges for workplace health and safety. Understanding the types of work settings in which COVID-19 transmission occurred most frequently, and the occupations and industries that were most affected, can help inform prevention policies and practices.

Study Objectives
This study examined occupational differences in COVID-19 testing, diagnosis, hospitalization and emergency department visits.

Study Methods
The Occupational Disease Surveillance System (ODSS) is a system that monitors disease outcomes among more than two million Ontario workers.

Workers in the ODSS were linked to the Ontario Laboratories Information System (OLIS) to identify COVID-19 testing and cases between 2020 and 2021. This data source was used to examine risk of COVID-19 by occupation, industry, and geographic region.

About the Fact Sheet
This fact sheet summarizes the risk of COVID-19 among workers in the ODSS based on PCR test results, compared to all other workers in the ODSS.