Food, farm workers next up for vaccine
Research ranks agricultural work among state’s riskiest occupations
What jobs put workers at the greatest risk of death during California’s COVID-19 pandemic?
Cooks, agricultural workers, bakers and those in other food-related fields — “essential workers” who are still waiting in line for their vaccines, behind health care workers and elders, according to a new UC San Francisco study.
Californians in these professions suffered 50% to 60% higher death rates during the pandemic than before the pandemic, the study found. Researchers discovered elevated death rates in people in other occupations, as well, such as construction workers (50% increase) sewing machine operators (44% increase) and grounds maintenance workers (40% increase).
These groups died at higher rates than vocational nurses (34% increase) and teacher assistants (28% increase), who are ahead of them in line for vaccines.
“Our study places a powerful lens on the unjust impact of the
COVID-19 pandemic on mortality of working age adults in different occupations,” according to the study, led by UCSF epidemiologist and biostatistics professor Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo.
“If indeed these workers are essential, we must be swift and decisive in enacting measures that will treat their lives as such,” the authors asserted.
On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom said food and agriculture workers will be considered along with other people in the state’s
Phase 1B distribution plan: elders age 65 and up, alongside health care workers, first responders and teachers. Once that is done, the state will move to an agebased program. But counties and healthcare providers have the flexibility to change this framework to meet local needs.
Further complicating the picture, California’s Department of Public Health updated its vaccine allocation guidelines on Friday to reflect the elevated risks of some jobs. But those workers are a subset of the existing priority: people over age 65.
The findings come as counties debate how to protect workers who do not have health insurance, regular doctors or easy access to computers to schedule appointments. Some people may continue working
despite illness because they need a regular paycheck to feed and shelter their families. Or they may resist COVID-19 testing, fearing that a positive result would threaten their ability to gain U.S. citizenship. According to the Center for Farmworker Families, 70% of California’s farmworkers are undocumented.
On Monday, Monterey’s agricultural community — growers, unions and public health clinics — are meeting with the county’s Board of Supervisors to discuss possible strategies.
For instance, growers are offering to host vaccination clinics, staffed by local doctors and nurses, to protect their workers, said Lauro Barajas, regional director for the United Farm Workers in the Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey Bay area.
“It has been great teamwork,” said Barajas. While the UFW respects the importance of vaccinating vulnerable elders, he said,
“we’re making sure we are pushing hard to have vaccines quickly.”
“It is important because the farm workers are the ones harvesting the food we eat. These people are feeding us,” he said. “And the people running the stores where we buy food — they’re also very important.”
Last week in Riverside County, the public health department teamed up with area nonprofits and vaccinated about 300 workers from two ranches in eastern Coachella Valley. In Fresno County, the union collaborated with employers to get dry ice and mobile vaccine clinics near the worksite — but low supplies put the brakes on that effort.
The city of Long Beach this week expanded distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to grocery store and restaurant workers, the first group of essential workers in Los Angeles County outside the healthcare indus
try to be offered the critical shots. Those seeking a vaccine must provide proof of employment in Long Beach or, if they live outside Long Beach, proof of residency and employment.
Bay Area counties say their distribution plans are based on vaccine availability.
“It’s highly dependent on supplies,” said Jason Hoppin of Santa Cruz County. And San Mateo County’s Preston Merchant said, “With vaccine supply constrained, we don’t have (date) estimates.”
Last month, Assemblymembers Robert Rivas of Hollister and Eduardo Garcia of Coachella introduced a bill, AB 93, to prioritize farmworkers, grocery store employees and other food sector workers for vaccine distribution.
The California Latino Legislative Caucus also called on Newsom to prioritize farmworkers in the state’s vaccination plan. Two weeks later, Newsom
declared that farmworkers would be included in the next tier, Phase 1B.
The UCSF study also revealed wide variations in deaths across race and ethnicity among working Californians.
Deaths among California Latinos were 36% higher — with a 59% increase among Latinos who were food/agriculture workers. A large number of Latinos work in meat-processing facilities, where outbreaks have occurred, the study noted. Deaths among White Californians climbed by 6% — with a 16% increase among Whites who were food or agricultural workers.
Black Californians experienced a 28% increase in mortality — with a 36% increase for Blacks who were retail workers. Asian Californians experienced an 18% increase, with a 40% increase among Asian healthcare workers.
Previous research found that “essential workers” are at higher risk of dying because they often cannot work from home. And if poorly paid, these workers may be more likely to live in crowded housing, so are more exposed to household transmission.
Vaccine plans that prioritize these in-person essential workers are essential to save lives, the UCSF study concluded.
“As jurisdictions struggle with difficult decisions regarding vaccine distribution,” the authors said, “our findings offer a clear point of clarity: vaccination programs prioritizing workers in sectors such as food/agriculture are likely to have disproportionately large benefits for reducing COVID-19 mortality.”
“Shutdown policies do not protect essential workers and must be complemented with workplace modifications and prioritized vaccine distribution,” the authors said.