Quarter of workforce vulnerable to severe coronavirus illness
Businesses across the country are starting to reopen, but almost a quarter of the workforce is at a higher risk of becoming seriously ill if they get the coronavirus, according to a new study.
Earlier this month, the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) published a report that found 24 percent of the workforce -- or 37.7 million workers -- are “at greater risk for severe illness from COVID-19 due to underlying health conditions or age,” the report said.
Of those, 10 million are workers who are 65 or older and another 27.7 million are younger workers with health conditions that put them at risk.
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According to a report from the AARP, those health conditions include diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart disease, severe obesity, moderate to severe asthma and compromised immune systems from cancer treatment.
The KFF report found that 86 percent of the younger at-risk workers and 61 percent of older at-risk workers are full-time employees, working at least 35 hours a week.
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For those adults, if they stay away from work for too long, they “may face economic difficulties,” the report found.
“The importance of at-risk workers’ earnings to themselves and to their families may put added pressure on them to continue to work or return to work even if their safety may be compromised,” the study said.
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The report also estimated that there are another 12 million at-risk, nonworking adults who live with someone who works full time, including 6.5 million adults over 65 and 5.5 million younger adults.
“The safety of these family members will need to be part of the considerations for employees and employers as businesses continue to refine safety protocols and others reopen their workplaces,” the report said.
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