Physicians Had More COVID Exposure but Lower Mortality —and the Reason May Be Controversial

One of the key messages during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic was that an individual’s level of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 had a strong influence on their risk for infection. And while that’s undoubtedly true to some extent—how can you contract a disease you’re not exposed to?—new data suggest that’s an overly simplistic notion.  A study published by JAMA Internal Medicine reveals that one of the most-exposed groups in the United States also experienced lower excess mortality than others, however, leading the authors to draw a conclusion that will surely be considered provocative by at least some among the general public. Between March 2020 and December 2021, there were 43 “excess” deaths per 100,000 person years among physicians in the United States, compared with 294 deaths per 100,000 person years in the general population. One of the authors told MedPage Today it’s likely “much of this protection came from workplace policies” that included vaccine mandates, infection-prevention protocols, and other strategies that proved controversial in nonclinical settings. The findings may serve the public well in future public health crises.