BACKGROUND: More than 100 US physicians have died from COVID-19 . I considered the number of US physician deaths in comparison to the expected COVID death rate in the general population .

AIMS: To estimate the whether US physicians are at increased risk of death from COVID-19 due to occupational exposures .

METHODS: COVID-related physician deaths were identified through searches using Medscape In Memoriam, and multiple internet searches using Google and Facebook . An obituary or death notice was obtained in all but one case . Death rates among physicians were compared to the expected rate based on COVID deaths in the US population .

RESULTS: Up to 7 October 2020, there were 108 deaths among US physicians . Physicians make up about 0.33% of the US population . By 1 October 2020, there were 210 000 COVID deaths in the US population with 693 expected physician deaths . Observed deaths were 16% of expected . Seventy-five per cent of the deaths occurred among physicians older than age 60 and about half appeared to be among those retired from clinical practice .

CONCLUSIONS: Observed physician deaths were significantly below expected based on deaths the general population . Prudent use of personal protective equipment may explain the lower-than-expected death rates.