The California workers’ compensation system reported an increase of 1,005 COVID-19 claims from October to November, the first increase in such claims volume since June, according to a report released Tuesday by the California Workers’ Compensation Institute.
The CWCI said the increase in volume is likely partially attributable to the BA.5, BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 COVID-19 subvariants.
The number of claims varied by region and industry, with the highest increases in Los Angeles County, the Bay Area and the Central Valley, and the most affected industries are public safety, government, health care and retail.
The Central Valley saw twice as many COVID-19 claims in November as in October, and the region passed the Bay Area to become California̵
7;s second-largest region for COVID-19 claims.The latest data, reported Dec. 14, shows that for the first time since January 2021, health care workers filed for more Covid-19 workers than public safety and government employees.
The data also shows that the rising numbers came after a peak of 9,626 claims submitted in June followed by a seven-month low of 1,442 claims in October.
In November, claims increased 69.7% to 2,447, and additional claims with November claim dates are still being recorded, according to the CWCI.
Based on historical reporting, CWCI estimates that November’s number of COVID-19 claims will be around 3,303, which would be 9.2% below the estimated total of 3,639 claims from a year earlier.
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