Risk of hospitalisation with COVID-19 among teachers compared to healthcare workers and other working-age adults. A nationwide case-control study

Abstract

Objective To determine the risk of hospitalisation with COVID-19 and severe COVID-19 among teachers and their household members, overall and compared to healthcare workers and the general working-age population. Design Population-based nested case-control study. Settings Scotland, March 2020 to January 2021. Before and after schools re-opened in early August 2020. Participants All cases of COVID-19 in Scotland in adults ages 21 to 65 (n = 83,817) and a random sample of controls matched on age, sex and general practice (n = 841,708). Exposure Individuals identified as actively teaching in a Scottish school by the General Teaching Council for Scotland, and household members of such individuals identified via the Unique Property Reference Number. Comparator Individuals identified as healthcare workers in Scotland, their household members, and the remaining general population of working-age adults. Main outcomes The primary outcome was hospitalisation with COVID-19 defined in anyone testing positive with COVID-19 in hospital, admitted to hospital within 28 days of a positive test, and/or diagnosed with COVID-19 on discharge from hospital. Severe COVID-19 was defined as individuals admitted to intensive care or dying within 28 days of a positive test or assigned COVID-19 as a cause of death. Results Most teachers were young (mean age 42), female (80%) and had no underlying conditions (84%). The cumulative incidence (risk) of hospitalisation with COVID-19 was below 1% for all of the working age adults. In the period after school re-opening, compared to the general population, in conditional logistic regression models adjusting for age, sex, general practice, deprivation, underlying conditions and number of adults in the household, the relative risk in teachers (among 18,479 cases and controls) for hospitalisation was rate ratio (RR) 0.97 (95%CI 0.72-1.29) and for severe COVID-19 was RR 0.27 (95%CI 0.09-0.77). Equivalent rate ratios for household members of teachers were 0.97 (95%CI 0.74-1.27) and 0.67 (95%CI 0.36-1.24), and for healthcare workers were 1.82 (95%CI 1.55-2.14) and 1.76 (95%CI 1.22-2.56), respectively. Conclusion Compared to working-age adults who are otherwise similar, teachers and their household members are not at increased risk of hospitalisation with COVID-19 and are at lower risk of severe COVID-19. These findings are broadly reassuring for adults engaged in face to face teaching