Security guards, chefs and taxi drivers most likely to die from coronavirus, new study data reveals

A new data published by the UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS), has shown that security guards, taxi drivers and chefs are at the highest risk of dying from the novel Coronavirus.

According to the study, the three occupations had the highest rate of Covid-19 deaths among men, and were significantly higher than doctors and nurses, while care workers, home carers, bus drivers, and retail workers were also among the worst affected occupations with significantly higher death rates than the rest of the population.

But surprisingly, the study data showed healthcare workers, including doctors and nurses, did not have a higher Covid-19 death rates than the general population.

The ONS figures are based on an analysis of the 2,494 registered Coronavirus deaths among workers aged 20 to 64 in England and Wales up to April 20.

According to the data;

”Nearly two-thirds of these deaths – 1,612 – were among men, with a significantly higher death rate of 9.9 per 100,000, compared with 5.2 deaths per 100,000 females. ”
”Among men, security guards had the highest Covid-19 death rate, with 45.7 deaths per 100,000 (63 deaths). Taxi drivers and chauffeurs had a rate of 36.4 (76 deaths) and chefs a rate of 35.9 (31 deaths). Low-skilled workers in construction had a high rate of 25.9 deaths per 100,000 males.

Other jobs with high death rates include Care workers and home carers (32.0 deaths per 100,000 males), Sales and retail assistants (19.8 deaths per 100,000) Process, plant and machine operatives occupations (15.5 deaths per 100,000 males) Healthcare workers (10.2 deaths per 100,000 males, and 4.8 deaths per 100,000 females)

The ONS said its analysis ‘does not prove conclusively that the observed rates of death involving Covid-19 are necessarily caused by differences in occupational exposure’.

Prof Neil Pearce, from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine reacting to the new findings, said the disease is an occupational disease and mostly kills those in the working age population.

He said: ‘This is not just for health care and social care workers, but for many other occupations that involve contact with people. ‘The highest Covid-19 death rates are for security guards, with high rates also for taxi drivers and chauffeurs, bus and coach drivers, chefs, sales and retail assistants, construction workers, and service occupations (including hospital porters, kitchen and catering assistants, and waiters).

‘The authors note that the findings are adjusted for age, but not for other factors such as ethnic group and place of residence; pre-existing conditions such as diabetes and obesity may also vary by occupational group.

‘Nevertheless, the findings are striking, and emphasise that we need to look beyond health and social care, and that there is a broad range of occupations which may be at risk from Covid-19. These are many of the same occupations that are now being urged to return to work, in some instances without proper safety measures and PPE being in place.’