Healthcare workers ‘seven times more likely to get severe Covid’
Healthcare workers have a seven-fold increased risk of getting severe coronavirus (Covid-19), a new study suggests. Researchers said social care and transport staff have also got an increased risk.
Risk
The new study, published in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine, examined data from the UK Biobank and Public Health England.
Researchers found that of 120,075 participants in the Biobank database, 271 had severe coronavirus.
Among all participants, 29% were “essential” workers in occupations including healthcare, social care, education, and transport. They compared these workers to so-called “non essential workers”.
Healthcare workers were found to have a seven-fold increased risk of severe coronavirus. Those working in social care and in education were 84% as likely to do so, while ‘other’ essential workers had a 60% higher risk of developing severe coronavirus.
Need
The authors of the report, led by scientists from the University of Glasgow, concluded:
Essential workers have a higher risk of severe coronavirus.
Read on...
Support us and go ad-freeThese findings underscore the need for national and organisational policies and practices that protect and support workers with an elevated risk of severe Covid-19.
Our findings reinforce the need for adequate health and safety arrangements and provision of personal protective equipment (PPE), particularly in the health and social care sectors.
We know everyone is suffering under the Tories - but the Canary is a vital weapon in our fight back, and we need your support
The Canary Workers’ Co-op knows life is hard. The Tories are waging a class war against us we’re all having to fight. But like trade unions and community organising, truly independent working-class media is a vital weapon in our armoury.
The Canary doesn’t have the budget of the corporate media. In fact, our income is over 1,000 times less than the Guardian’s. What we do have is a radical agenda that disrupts power and amplifies marginalised communities. But we can only do this with our readers’ support.
So please, help us continue to spread messages of resistance and hope. Even the smallest donation would mean the world to us.
-
Show Comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to leave a comment.Join the conversationPlease read our comment moderation policy here.
And here’s the paper in question:
http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/225950/ (abstract)
http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/225950/3/225950.pdf (main text)
http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/225950/2/225950Suppl.pdf (supplemental material)