Racial and Ethnic Disparities Among COVID-19 Cases in Workplace Outbreaks by Industry Sector — Utah, March 6–June 5, 2020
David Bui, Keegan McCaffrey, Michael Friedrichs, Nathan LaCross, Nathaniel M. Lewis, Kylie Sage, Bree Barbeau, Dede Vilven, Carolyn Penstein Rosé, Sara Braby, Sarah Willardson, Amy Carter, Christopher Smoot, Andrea Winquist, Angela Dunn
Abstract
) (1), 73% (970 of 1,335) of workplace outbreak-associated COVID-19 cases were in persons who identified as Hispanic or nonwhite. Systemic social inequities have resulted in the overrepresentation of Hispanic and nonwhite workers in frontline occupations where exposure to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, might be higher (2); extra vigilance in these sectors is needed to ensure prevention and mitigation strategies are applied equitably and effectively to workers of racial and ethnic groups disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Health departments can adapt workplace guidance to each industry sector affected by COVID-19 to account for different production processes and working conditions.