Published Thursday, May 13, 2021 1:14PM EDT People who live in Toronto and Peel’s COVID-19 hot spots are about four times as likely to have essential jobs in manufacturing and utilities as residents in other neighbourhoods, according to new research. The Gattuso Centre for Social Medicine at the University Health Network took a closer look at the hot spot postal codes in Toronto and Peel and was able to confirm what many have long suggested – that essential workers, racialized people and those with lower incomes are bearing a disproportionate share of the burden from COVID-19. Using census data, the researchers found that more than six per cent of residents in Toronto and Peel’s hot spots work in manufacturing and utilities compared to fewer than two per cent in other neighbourhoods. Another 13 per cent of the residents in the hot spot postal codes in Toronto and Peel have essential jobs in the trades, transport and equipment operation. That is more than do