Covid-19 among migrants, refugees, and internally displaced persons: systematic review and synthesis of the global empirical literature

Abstract

Abstract National pandemic response and preparedness plans aim at mitigating the spread of infectious diseases and protecting public health. Yet, they often fail to consider migrants. Evidence from the pandemic's early phase indicates that migrants are disproportionally affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and its consequences. Yet, synthesized evidence quantifying the magnitude of inequalities in infection risk, consequences of disease, or consequences of public health measures is lacking. We conducted a systematic review of the literature from 12/2019 to 11/2021 to synthesise the empirical evidence in this field. We considered all types of articles and study designs. The synthesis of evidence was divided into qualitative and quantitative analysis. Out of 6961 studies we included 243 to describe the heterogenous research landscape in terms of design, population, country context, and outcomes reported. The qualitative synthesis (n = 44) highlights the complex interplay of social and Covid-19 related factors at macro-, meso- and micro-level, resulting in high exposure, risk of infection, impacts of public health measures, and health impacts for migrants. The meta-analysis of n = 45 quantitative studies shows that migrants have an elevated risk of infection (RR: 2.46 (95%CI: 1.96-3.07)) compared to non-migrants, but a similar risk of hospitalization (RR: 1.05 (95%CI: 0.80-1.37)). Among those hospitalized, migrants have a lower risk of mortality (RR: 0.57 (95%CI: 0.32-1.03)). Yet, population-based excess mortality tends to be higher among migrants compared to non-migrants (RR: 1.30 (95%CI: 0.90-1.89)). Overall, high heterogeneity in reporting and quality of primary studies hampered the comparability of data. The qualitative results highlight the syndemic nature of the crisis, with cascading effects and interactions among socio-economic and health inequalities. They also illustrate the lack of evidence on some migrant categories, e.g., labor migrants, undocumented migrants, and returnees.