Exeter academics design a COVID risk calculator to keep BAME health workers safer
A team of experts, lead by Dr David Strain, Senior Lecturer at the University of Exeter Medical School and co-chair at BMA Medical Academic Staff Committee, have designed a tool to identify those at the highest risk to COVID-19.
Nearly 94 per cent of the doctors who have died of COVID-19 in the UK are of BAME heritage.
The risk calculator was designed in response to the urgent need to identify healthcare workers at higher risk of developing a severe form of COVID-19. The tool incorporates evidence from an NHS England-commissioned report regarding the impact of the virus on black and ethnic minority communities.
Nearly 94 per cent of the doctors who have died of COVID-19 in the UK are of BAME heritage.
It uses a point-based system to define an individual’s risk of developing severe COVID-19. A point is added for each risk factor, including being male, being from a BAME background and having certain pre-existing health conditions.
Dr David Strain said the tool aims to “facilitate conversations to keep people safer” as it aids discussions around the kind of duties a person should be assigned at work.
The risk calculator, available to download from the British Medical Association website, will provide relief for high-risk individuals, making them feel safer and more supported in their workplace.
Editor: Ella Shadwell