OBJECTIVES: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to substantial health and economic burdens due to loss of productivity. The blue-light emitting device RD-X19, which stimulates local immunity to expedite recovery from mild to moderate COVID-19, presents a promising intervention. Despite national economic studies on RD-X19, its value in curbing productivity loss still needs to be explored.

METHODS: We employed the Covasim framework for in-depth COVID-19 simulations, comparing Standard of Care to a scenario where RD-X19 is given to 10% of symptomatic workers aged 21-65 in North Carolina from January 2023 to January 2024. This conservative 10% value was chosen for its simplicity. Simulations were based on CDC data and assumptions on prior immunity and the absence of imported cases. Economic estimates incorporated 2022 U.S. labor statistics. Model validity was tested against 20230 CDC data.

RESULTS: RD-X19 use led to an estimated reduction of approximately 221,000 (CrI 95% [198,000, 244,000]) COVID-19 cases, preserving roughly 2.1 million working days in North Carolina. This equates to potential productivity savings of about $250 million.

CONCLUSIONS: RD-X19 integration into COVID-19 management for mild to moderate cases could significantly reduce productivity loss. Even with a moderate uptake, the economic implications are substantial, indicating potential savings in the hundreds of millions. These findings underscore the potential of RD-X19 to mitigate the socioeconomic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.