ROME, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- An Italian institution said on Wednesday that the number of "illness certificates" issued for the country's workers in the first half of 2022 increased by over 60 percent year on year amid lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the National Social Security Institute (INPS), 19.8 million such certificates were issued between January and June, up 60.5 percent from the same period last year.

"Illness certificates," issued on a case-by-case basis by doctors working in the national health system, are required for most private or public workers to claim paid sick leaves. The certificates can be valid for multiple days to weeks if an illness warrants it.

INPS said in a statement that the surging number of issued certificates was "closely linked to the development of the pandemic," especially during the first three months of this year when Italy saw a spike in daily new COVID-19 cases.

The institute said a total of about 51.1 million sick days were claimed by private sector workers and 14.6 million sick days by public sector workers in the first quarter. In the second quarter, the numbers dropped to 32 million and 10 million, respectively. Enditem

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