Working in Office Makes You More Vulnerable to COVID-19, New Report Shows

By Neil P. First Posted: Nov 06, 2020 01:36 PM EST

A new report shows that those who are working in the office are more likely to get infected with COVID-19 than those who are working at home.

The global pandemic has led to vast changes across the globe. As the days progress, different researches and reports are also published to help everyone to adjust and adapt to the global pandemic.

This time, a new report revealed the disadvantage of working in an office.

(Photo : Unsplash)

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported recently that employees who work in an office setting may be more likely to get infected with COVID-19 than those who work from home. One factor they see that could put them more at risk with the virus is if they regularly commute.

The research was published on Thursday as part of the CDCs Morbidity and Weekly Report. Public health investigators who examined possible exposures to COVID-19 among employed adults found that workers who tested positive for COVID-19 were almost twice as likely to report regularly commuting to work, compared with the employees studied who tested negative.

The group of researchers interviewed roughly 310 people who took the COVID-19 test in July. About half of those who were interviewed tested positive for COVID-19 and they were then compared to those who tested negative.

The majority of both groups, all adults, held full-time, non-essential jobs outside of critical infrastructure and had similar community exposure to COVID-19 independent of work, according to a published report in ABC News.

Only one-third of the COVID-19 group worked remotely or were working from home or teleworking at least part of the time before they were diagnosed with the virus. Meanwhile, half of the control group participants reported at least sometimes working remotely.

Frequent commute may lead to virus exposure

Two weeks before they got infected with the virus, members of the COVID-19 group reported that they were more likely to be in the office compared to the control group. COVID-19 group said that they went to the office or to the schools than the control group.

This led the researchers to conclude an association of COVID-19 infections toward going to the office, school, church, and any other gatherings, This means that those who are exposed to the public and are working in the office are more likely to get infected for the virus.

It's worth noting that there is a gap in the study like potential differences between people willing to participate in the CDC investigation and those who refused, and differences among remote work options and work policies. There's also the possibility of misclassified COVID-19 tests because of the limits of PCR testing.

However, the findings and the data still indicate employers still need to reflect on the results of the report.

The report of the CDC recommended, "Businesses and employers should promote alternative work site options, such as teleworking, where possible, to reduce exposures. Allowing and encouraging the option to work from home" is an important tool for slowing the spread of COVID-19."