TIL Desk/Business/New Delhi/ Grocery store employees are likely to be at increased risk of Covid-19 infection, with those in customer-facing roles five times as likely to test positive as their colleagues in other positions, a study suggests.
The research, published in the journal Occupational & Environmental Medicine, also found that among those testing positive, three out of four had no symptoms, suggesting these key workers could be an important reservoir of infection.
The researchers studied 104 employees of one grocery store in Boston, US in order to find out how Covid-19 has affected the health and wellbeing of essential workers. Each employee was tested for SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for Covid-19 infection, in May this year as part of a mandatory testing policy across Boston.
They were asked to provide information on Covid-19, including any symptoms and exposure to anyone with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 over the past 14 days. Information on mental health was gleaned from two validated questionnaires for depression and anxiety. One in five (21 out of 104) workers tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, indicating a prevalence of 20 per cent at that point in time, the researchers said.
