COVID-19 the heart and returning to physical exercise

摘要

During the COVID-19 pandemic, employers and occupational health (OH) practitioners have worked together to manage the risk of employees developing COVID-19 illness as part of return-to-work considerations [ , ]. The focus of activity for many OH practitioners has centred on the complex issue of assessing the risk of employees developing severe COVID-19 illness through judging their likely clinical vulnerability, aided by COVID-19 clinical risk assessment tools, such as that proposed by Coggon and co-workers [ ]. Employers must consider other factors as part of the wider risk assessment for acquiring SARS-CoV-2 virus, such as workplace infection control policies, personal protective equipment and employees’ travel arrangements to and from work. In addition to concerns over acquiring the virus, there is a continuing need for employers and OH practitioners to consider the specific requirements of the job as part of the overall OH risk assessment. A specific concern is the return-to-work assessment for employees who have had COVID-19 illness, particularly if symptoms prove recurring or persistent and if the duties of the job require strenuous physical tasks.