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. 2022 Aug 19;71(33):1052-1056.
doi: 10.15585/mmwr.mm7133a4.

COVID-19 Outbreaks and Mortality Among Public Transportation Workers - California, January 2020-May 2022

Amy Heinzerling, Ximena P Vergara, Elisabeth Gebreegziabher, John Beckman, Jessie Wong, Alyssa Nguyen, Sana Khan, Matt Frederick, David Bui, Elena Chan, Kathryn Gibb, Andrea Rodriguez, Seema Jain, Kristin J Cummings

COVID-19 Outbreaks and Mortality Among Public Transportation Workers - California, January 2020-May 2022

Amy Heinzerling et al. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. .

Abstract

Work-related factors can contribute to risk for exposure to and infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and subsequent COVID-19-attributable outcomes, including death. Comparing COVID-19 metrics across industries can help identify workers at highest risk. Elevated COVID-19 mortality rates have been reported among all transportation workers, as well as specifically in public transportation industries (1-3). The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) calculated public transportation industry-specific COVID-19 outbreak incidence during January 2020-May 2022 and analyzed all laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 deaths among working-age adults in California to calculate public transportation industry-specific mortality rates during the same period. Overall, 340 confirmed COVID-19 outbreaks, 5,641 outbreak-associated cases, and 537 COVID-19-associated deaths were identified among California public transportation industries. Outbreak incidence was 5.2 times as high (129.1 outbreaks per 1,000 establishments) in the bus and urban transit industry and 3.6 times as high in the air transportation industry (87.7) as in all California industries combined (24.7). Mortality rates were 2.1 times as high (237.4 deaths per 100,000 workers) in transportation support services and 1.8 times as high (211.5) in the bus and urban transit industry as in all industries combined (114.4). Workers in public transportation industries are at higher risk for COVID-19 workplace outbreaks and mortality than the general worker population in California and should be prioritized for COVID-19 prevention strategies, including vaccination and enhanced workplace protection measures.

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Conflict of interest statement

All authors have completed and submitted the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors form for disclosure of potential conflicts of interest. No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed.

Figures

FIGURE
FIGURE
COVID-19 outbreaks (A) and COVID-19–associated deaths (B) in public transportation industries, by month of onset — California, March 2020–May 2022 * Outbreaks in taxi and limousine services and rail transportation were not included because of low numbers of reported outbreaks. † No outbreaks or deaths in public transportation industries were reported during January or February 2020.
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