A new study shows people who work shifts — a work schedule outside of the daytime hours of 9 to 5 — are up to three times more likely to be infected with COVID-19. Researchers say working long-term night shifts or working shift rotations may cause "circadian misalignment," which could increase a person's susceptibility to COVID-19.
Shift workers involved in the study tended to be younger, male smokers of nonwhite ethnicity with a higher body mass index and higher levels of deprivation. Study results show:
- A person doing irregular shift work is more than twice as likely to test positive for COVID-19 as someone not doing shift work.
- Permanent shift work makes a person 2.5 times more likely to get COVID-19.
- Those working irregular night shifts are three times more likely to test positive.
Preventive measures in the workplace suggested by researchers could include increasing after-hours safety training and supervision, increasing sanitation schedules, reducing the number of workers on any given shift, providing personal protective equipment to shift workers and early COVID-19 vaccination programs.
SOURCES:
EurekAlert! April 22, 2021
BMJ Journals April 26, 2021