Access to Paid Sick Leave and COVID-19 Vaccination Status Among Employed Adults Aged 18-64 Years in the United States, 2021-2022.

Abstract

<b>Objectives.</b> To measure the associations between access to paid sick leave (PSL) and COVID-19 vaccination status in the United States, both overall and stratified by occupation and industry of employment. <b>Methods.</b> We extracted data on employed adults aged 18 to 64 years from the 2021 and 2022 US Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. We assessed associations between PSL and COVID-19 vaccination status using logistic regression. We used marginal effects analyses to estimate associations within occupation and industry groups. <b>Results.</b> Our analytic sample (n = 15 089) represented more than 114 million employed US adults. Access to PSL was significantly associated with receipt of a COVID-19 vaccination (adjusted odds ratio = 1.33; 95% confidence interval = 1.14, 1.55). Marginal effects analyses indicated that this association was significant within most occupation and industry groups. <b>Conclusions.</b> These findings suggest PSL is associated with higher COVID-19 vaccination rates among US workers. PSL remains an important tool for improving preventive health care access and reducing rates of infectious disease in the United States. (<i>Am J Public Health</i>. 2025;115(8):1308-1311. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2025.308095).