r/COVID19_Pandemic

This article: https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/germany-bans-workers-calling-sick-151812403.html

Related:

[25 June 2026] German government launches frontal assault on pensions https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2026/06/26/hhiy-j26.html

[11 June 2026] Merz’s government statement: War abroad, social counterrevolution at home https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2026/06/12/merz-j12.html

[3 July 2026] Sick leave: Germany rising but not the worst in Europe https://www.dw.com/en/sick-leave-germany-rising-but-not-the-worst-in-europe/a-77815488

>Highlights

>•There were 14.6 respiratory viral infection-related absenteeism episodes per 100 HCP during the 2024–2025 season.

>•SARS-CoV-2 infection and influenza accounted for 36.1% and 18.0% of total workdays missed.

>•HCP with COVID-19 had 1.37 more days of absence compared to HCP with absenteeism due to other reasons.

>•Influenza vaccine effectiveness against influenza-associated absenteeism was 55.4%.

>Abstract

>Background

>Data on absenteeism of healthcare personnel (HCP) in post-COVID-19 pandemic seasons are scarce. We studied the morbidity and absenteeism associated with influenza, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection among HCP in Greece during 2024–2025.

>Methods

>We followed 4421 hospital-based HCP from November 11, 2024, to May 25, 2025. The main outcomes of interest were incidence of absenteeism and length of absence. A multivariable regression model was used to assess association between length and reason for absenteeism, vaccination status, and HCP characteristics.

>Results

>A total of 645 absenteeism episodes occurred (14.6 episodes per 100 HCP). The mean duration of absence was 3.4 days, totaling 2190 days during the study period. COVID-19, influenza, RSV infection, and asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection were diagnosed in 31.9%, 14.4%, 0.9%, and 0.3% of absenteeism episodes, respectively. Overall, SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19 or asymptomatic infection), influenza, and RSV infection accounted for 36.1%, 18.0%, and 1.1% of total workdays missed, respectively. The multivariable regression model indicated that COVID-19 diagnosis was associated with 1.37 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.14–1.60] more days of absence compared to HCP with absenteeism due to other reasons, while influenza vaccination was associated with 0.81 (95% CI: 0.31–1.31) fewer days of absence compared to no vaccination. The influenza vaccine effectiveness against influenza-associated absenteeism was 55.4%

>Conclusion

>COVID-19 and seasonal influenza remain the prevalent causes of absenteeism in HCP during 2024–2025. HCP who had received the influenza vaccine had less absenteeism than unvaccinated HCP.

>Abstract

>Severe viral infections can disrupt host immunity and increase susceptibility to secondary pathogens. Experimental and preclinical studies suggest that severe viral pneumonia may also trigger reactivation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, yet population-level evidence remains limited. We conducted a nationwide retrospective cohort study in Chile, including more than 3.6 million adults with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, to assess the risk of incident tuberculosis during follow-up. Individuals who developed severe COVID-19 requiring hospitalization had more than an eightfold higher hazard of tuberculosis within one year compared with those with non-severe disease. SARS-CoV-2 vaccination modified this association: the excess risk was substantially greater among unvaccinated individuals, whereas prior vaccination attenuated it. These findings indicate that severe COVID-19 is associated with an increased short- and long-term risk of tuberculosis and support the integration of targeted tuberculosis screening and preventive strategies into post-COVID-19 care, particularly among patients with severe disease.

>…The study’s findings were suppressed from publication earlier this year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). At the time, interim CDC Director Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, expressed concerns about the method used in the study to calculate vaccine effectiveness (VE), despite the method (test-negative design) having been used for decades as part of routine flu vaccine monitoring and the CDC’s own VE estimates, according to a commentary published alongside the study.…

Study: Interim Estimated Effectiveness of 2025-2026 COVID-19 Vaccines in Adults Using a Test-Negative Design https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2850668

>Key Points

>Question  What was the estimated effectiveness of 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccines against medically attended COVID-19 among adults aged 18 years or older in the US from September to December 2025?

>Findings  In this case-control study of 85 725 emergency department and urgent care (ED/UC) encounters and 26 073 hospitalizations in immunocompetent adults aged 18 years or older with a COVID-19–like illness, estimated effectiveness of 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccination was 50% against COVID-19–associated ED/UC encounters and 55% against COVID-19–associated hospitalization, compared with not receiving a 2025-2026 vaccine dose.

>Meaning  This study found that 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccines were associated with additional protection against medically attended COVID-19 beyond individuals’ existing immunity, suggesting that adults can reduce their likelihood of severe COVID-19–associated outcomes by obtaining a 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccination.

>Abstract

>Importance  The 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccine, targeting JN.1 and JN.1-derived sublineages, became available in the US in September 2025.

>Objective  To assess the estimated interim effectiveness of 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccines against medically attended COVID-19 among immunocompetent adults aged 18 years or older in the US.

>Design, Setting, and Participants  This case-control study used a test-negative design to investigate patient encounters captured in the Virtual SARS-CoV-2, Influenza, and Other Respiratory Viruses Network, an electronic medical record–based network of health care systems (253 emergency departments/urgent cares [ED/UCs] and 179 hospitals in 7 states) from September 3, 2025, to December 31, 2025. Patient encounters with COVID-19–like illness and a molecular or antigen SARS-CoV-2 test 10 days before to 3 days after the encounter date were included.

>Exposure  2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccination regardless of prior COVID-19 vaccination.

>Main Outcomes and Measures  The main outcomes were COVID-19–associated ED/UC encounters and COVID-19–associated hospitalizations. Cases were defined as encounters with a positive molecular or antigen SARS-CoV-2 test and controls as encounters with a negative molecular SARS-CoV-2 test. The odds of 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccination among cases and controls, adjusting for confounders, were compared and used to estimate vaccine effectiveness (VE) as (1 − adjusted odds ratio) × 100%.

>Results  In 85 725 ED/UC encounters among adults aged 18 years and older (51 841 [60%] aged 18-64 years; 51 775 female [60%]), 206 of 3941 cases (5%) and 9453 of 81 784 controls (12%) received a 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccination. Estimated VE against COVID-19–associated ED/UC encounters was 50% (95% CI, 42%-57%; median [IQR] time since 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccine dose receipt, 47 [27-69] days). In 26 073 hospitalizations with a COVID-19–like illness (17 530 [67%] aged ≥65 years; 13 985 female [54%]), 60 of 1022 cases (6%) received a 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccination compared with 3080 of 25 051 controls (12%). Estimated VE against COVID-19–associated hospitalization was 55% (95% CI, 41%-66%; median [IQR] time since 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccine dose receipt, 46 [26-68] days). Among patients aged 65 years or older, estimated VE against ED/UC encounters was 48% (95% CI, 37%-56%; median [IQR] time since dose receipt, 48 [27-69] days; 33 884 encounters) and against hospitalization was 53% (95% CI, 37%-65%; median [IQR] time since dose receipt, 46 [26-69] days; 17 530 hospitalizations).

>Conclusions and Relevance  In this study, receipt of 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccination was associated with additional protection beyond existing immunity in adults against medically attended COVID-19, including ED/UC encounters and hospitalizations, compared with no receipt of a 2025-2026 vaccine dose. These findings suggest that adults can reduce their likelihood of severe COVID-19–associated outcomes by obtaining a 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccination.

Is there any reason I should keep my COVID-19 vaccine card? My records for my COVID vaccines (plus other vaccines I've gotten in recent years) are already in Docket.

>Abstract

>Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is linked to cardiovascular, metabolic, and cognitive morbidity. Although COVID-19 has been associated with long-term respiratory and neurological sequelae, its role in precipitating new-onset OSA remains unclear. We evaluated whether SARS-CoV-2 infection increases risk of developing OSA up to 4.5 years post-infection and how risk varies by hospitalization status, demographics, comorbidities, and vaccination status. This retrospective cohort study used electronic health records from the Montefiore Health System in the Bronx. Adults tested for SARS-CoV-2 between March 1, 2020, and August 17, 2024, were classified as hospitalized COVID+ , non-hospitalized COVID+ , or COVID− . Patients with prior OSA or loss to follow-up were excluded. Inverse probability weighting adjusted for demographic, clinical, socioeconomic, and vaccination covariates. New-onset OSA was assessed using weighted Cox proportional hazards models. Secondary outcomes including hypertension, myocardial infarction, heart failure, stroke, arrhythmia, pulmonary hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and obesity of individuals who developed new-onset OSA were evaluated with Poisson regression. Sensitivity analysis used a pre-pandemic control cohort. Among 910,393 eligible patients, hospitalized [HR 1.41 (95% CI 1.14–1.73)] and non-hospitalized [HR 1.33 (95% CI 1.22–1.46)] COVID+ patients had higher adjusted risk of new-onset OSA versus COVID− controls. Similar findings were observed when compared to the historical controls (n = 621,046). After OSA onset, hospitalized COVID+ patients had higher risks of heart failure and pulmonary hypertension, while non-hospitalized COVID+ patients had higher risk of obesity vs COVID− patients. SARS-CoV-2 infection is independently associated with increased risk of new-onset OSA. These findings support targeted screening post-COVID in high-risk populations.