The Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (IIAC) has found sufficient evidence to recommend that COVID-19 should be a prescribed occupational disease for health and social care workers (HSCWs) whose work brings them into frequent close proximity to patients or clients1. If the UK government accepts its recommendation, compensation would then be payable under the Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit scheme. Prescription as an occupational disease requires sufficient evidence that there is a doubling of risk of acquiring the disease from occupational exposure. For COVID-19 this required evidence that it was more likely than not that a case of COVID-19 infection was acquired at work and not elsewhere. For prescription, the IIAC also requires clearly defined disease sequelae that can lead to disability following infection or treatment. It identified five serious pathological complications following COVID-19 that would meet the criteria for compensation in HSCWs: persistent pneumonitis or lung fibrosis following acute COVID-19 pneumonitis; persisting pulmonary hypertension following a pulmonary embolism; ischaemic stroke; myocardial infarction; and symptoms of post-intensive care syndrome following ventilatory support treatment for COVID-19.
展开▼
