The rate of Covid-19 related deaths among social care workers in England and Wales is twice the national average, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
An analysis of Covid-19-related deaths by occupation up to 20 April showed of 2,494 deaths of people aged 20 to 64, 131 were care workers, of which 45 are male and 86 female.
The ONS said men working as social care workers had a "significantly elevated" rate of death involving Covid-19 with the data showing 23.4 deaths per 100,000 males.
That was more than double the overall death rate for men aged 20-64 in England and Wales linked to Covid-19 of 9.9 deaths per 100,000 males.
The death rate for female carers was 9.6 deaths per 100,000 females, compared to the overall rate of 5.2 per 100,000 women.
“In our analysis, rates of death involving the coronavirus among male and female social care workers were found to be statistically significantly higher than the rates of death involving COVID-19 among those of the same age and sex in England and Wales,” the ONS said.
UK charity Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) called the figures "shocking".
"It appears that, in the first month or so of the pandemic, social care workers, despite putting their lives at risk and continuing to make a difference to people’s lives daily, were unfortunately a forgotten front line. What was needed then and what’s needed now is consistent and continuous testing; and the provision of protective equipment with training on how to wear it," said chief executive Kathryn Smith.
"There is a some hope though. These figures are up until 20 April and we at SCIE hope that the increased awareness of social care amongst policy-makers and the population at large will see care providers having easier access to protective equipment; and for testing to be ongoing and continuous in care settings," she added.
