The Coronavirus outbreak has had a major effect on the absence due to illness in the country. Total sickness absences increased by 10.5 percent in the first quarter of this year compared to the first quarter of last year.

The Coronavirus pandemic and infection control measures have led to strong growth in diagnoses related to respiratory disorders. According to new figures from Nav, total sick leave was 7.3 percent in the first quarter of this year.

Self-reported sick-leave was 1.2 percent, and doctor authorized sick-leave was at 6.1 percent.

Compared to the first quarter of last year, there was an increase of 5.9 percent in self-reported sick days, while physician-reported absenteeism increased by 11.4 percent.

– “As expected, the Coronavirus epidemic has had a major effect on sick leave. There has been a sharp increase in the number of cases of respiratory disorders,” says Sigrun Vågeng, Director of Labor and Welfare, in a press release.

The increase in sick leave is mainly due to the Coronavirus outbreak.

– “When the authorities decided to shut down sections of the community to control the outbreak, the number of cases increased dramatically,” says Vågeng.

Typical respiratory diagnoses account for much of the increase. Coronavirus diagnosis, cough, colds, and various forms of quarantine diagnosis are widely used.

© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today