We’ve spent a lot of timing working on various recommendations for managing COVID-19 risks in veterinary practice. They’re mainly focused on the most biohazardous species with which veterinary personnel work on a daily basis: humans. While we’re still sorting through animal-related issues, the main emphasis is reducing exposure risk from people, and a recent assessment from the UK’s Office of National Statistics shows why. They have an interesting interactive map that characterizes the risk for a range of occupations, based on the frequency and closeness of contact they have with other people in general, and the potential exposure to infected people specifically.

 

  • Not surprisingly, healthcare practitioners top the list, particularly dental nurses.
  • Where veterinarians and veterinary technicians rank might surprise some (take a guess then check out the link to the interactive map here).  This shows why we’re working so hard on this, and why some short- and long-term changes in behaviours and veterinary practice are needed to help protect everyone’s health.
  • It’s designed as an assessment of generic disease exposure, not just COVID-19, so the vets and vet techs get higher on the ranking than they would be on a strictly COVID-19 exposure risk assessment, but it highlights the amount of close contact that vets have with a large number of people on a daily basis. More contacts means more risk. Reducing those contacts reduces the risk