COVID-19 detection and spread control: what initiatives in Italy for the homeless population?

Abstract

In Italy COVID-19 pandemic had a severe impact. The homeless live in situations aggravating their poor health conditions and comorbidities. Although homeless people are a fragile category, no dedicated measures by public health departments seem to be applied infrequently to this population. For these reasons, they are probably one of the categories most affected by the global spread of the SARS-CoV-2. Moreover, the current vaccination campaign against COVID-19 can represent an important opportunity for health and social integration also for the homeless. This scoping review performed a map to describe strategies and interventions adopted to protect the homeless population during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy. The methodology adheres to the PRISMA statement (extension for purpose revision) and follows the framework of Arksey and O'Malley. At the end of the selection process, 7 studies deemed relevant were included. Many strategies have been adopted to counter the spread of the virus to the homeless population, such as rapid and molecular tests with swabs or rapid blood tests. All the tests for diagnosing the infection currently in use have also been used for the homeless.