According to a new study, healthcare workers are seven times more likely to have severe Covid-19 as those with other “non-essential” jobs.

The study, published in the journal Occupational and Environment Medicine , intended to explore the severity of Covid-19 infection in essential and non-essential workers. For this, the researchers analysed data collected from the Public Health England of 1,20,075 employees aged 49-64 and recorded deaths that happened between March and July this year.

Of the total employees, 29 per cent were classified as essential workers and the rest included police and those working in transport and food preparation.

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The researchers noted that people who are associated with jobs in social care and education are twice as likely to have severe Covid (84 per cent).

According to the study, healthcare professionals — doctors, pharmacists, nurses, and paramedics — had higher rates of severe Covid-10 than non-essential workers.

Further, the researchers also found that medical support staff was nearly nine times as likely to develop severe disease.

Covid and ethnicity

The researchers also analysed the impact of Covid-19 on various ethnicities. The study found that the risks of severe infection for Black and Asian non-essential workers were similar to those for white essential workers.

The research suggested that non-essential workers of Black and Asian background were over three times as likely to develop severe infections as white non-essential workers while Black and Asian essential workers were more than eight times likely to develop severe symptoms.

The authors concluded: “Our findings reinforce the need for adequate health and safety arrangements and provision of PPE for essential workers, especially in the health and social care sectors. The health and well-being of essential workers are critical to limiting the spread and managing the burden of global pandemics.”

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