A not yet peer-reviewed study from UCSF looked at the highest “risk ratios for mortality,” comparing pandemic time to non-pandemic time, among California residents 18 to 65 years of age.
The study found line cooks are at the highest risk of all occupations with 828 deaths and a risk ratio of 1.60. Surprisingly, bakers are only slightly lower at 1.40, chefs and head cooks are 11th on the list at 1.35. Bartenders come in at 1.28. In total, food and agriculture workers suffered a death increase of 39% over previous years.
Our analysis of deaths among Californians between the ages of 18 and 65 shows that the pandemic’s effects on mortality have been greatest among essential workers, particularly those in the food/agriculture, transportation/logistics, facilities, and manufacturing sectors. Such workers experienced an increased risk of mortality of greater than 20% during the pandemic, with an increased risk of greater than 40% during the first two full months of the state’s reopening. Excess mortality in high-risk occupational sectors was evident in analyses stratified by race/ethnicity, especially for Latino, Black, and Asian workers.
This surprises me. Kitchens are hot, humid, and have strong outflow from hood fans. If anything, I thought they would be at a lower risk. Thoughts?
You can read the research here – dry reading but very interesting.
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