Meals, Agriculture, Development Employees High Record of Folks At Most At Danger From COVID Demise – CBS Pittsburgh

(CBS Local / CBS SF) – A study by the University of California at San Francisco on the jobs with the highest risk of death from COVID-19 shows line cooks, machine operators, farm workers, bakers and construction workers top the list.

The study looked at occupational areas associated with high excess mortality during the pandemic, with a focus on races and ethnic groups disproportionately affected by COVID-19. According to the study, personal work is essential a likely site of infection and needs to be addressed with strict enforcement of health regulations for the work environment and worker protection.

(UCSF / medRxiv)

The researchers estimated excess mortality among Californians ages 18 to 65 by occupation and occupation. Since the beginning of the pandemic, these working-age adults have seen mortality rates increase by 22% compared to historical periods. However, during the pandemic, food and farm workers saw excess mortality increase by 39%, the highest of any sector.

In addition, Latinos saw mortality increase by 36% and Latino workers in the food and agriculture sector saw mortality increase by 59%. Black Californian deaths rose 28% and black retail workers rose 36%. While Asian Californians saw an 18% increase in mortality, Asian healthcare workers saw a 40% increase.

In comparison, excess mortality among white Californians of working age rose 6% and among white food / farm workers by 16% during the pandemic.

The researchers found that Latino, black, and low-educated populations face particular occupational risks, as they may disproportionately make up the state’s essential workforce and key workers are often unable to work from home. Due to historical structural inequalities, low wage workers are also more likely to live in overcrowded homes, leading to a carryover of households.

“Personally important employees are unique in that they are not protected by on-site security policies. Indeed, our study shows that excess mortality in the food / agriculture sector rose sharply during the state’s first emergency shelter from late March to May. These increases were not seen among those active in non-essential sectors. Additional guidelines are needed to protect those who cannot work from home, ”the study authors wrote.

This can and should include: free personal protective equipment, clearly defined and strictly enforced safety protocols, easily accessible testing, generous health insurance policies, and appropriate responses to occupational safety violations. “

The study states that vaccine distribution plans must prioritize key workers to reduce COVID excessive mortality.

Earlier this week, California announced a series of changes to the COVID-19 vaccine delivery system to give the state more control over speeding up vaccinations after studies showed it is lagging behind all other states in adopting the vaccine.

Last week, the Bloomberg COVID Vaccine Tracker showed that California was the final percentage of vaccines administered, with only 37% of vaccines distributed being injected. While California has given more than 1.6 million vaccines – the largest of any state – it received about 4.4 million doses, according to the tracker.

UCSF researchers said their analysis was among the first to identify personal work outside of healthcare as a predictor of pandemic-related mortality.

“Shutdown policies by definition do not protect essential workers and need to be complemented by changes in the workplace and prioritized distribution of vaccines,” the authors say. “If these workers are really important, we need to quickly and decisively take action that treats their lives as such.”