Abstract
Hispanic/Latino populations are disproportionately impacted by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the United States. The impact of state reopening on COVID-19 in this population after stay-at-home orders is unknown. We evaluated the incidence, prevalence and trends during reopening of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) at a major federally qualified health centre in Providence, Rhode Island. A total of 14 505 patients were tested for SARS-CoV-2 from 19 March to 18 August 2020, of which, data on 13 318 (91.8%) patients were available; 70.0% were Hispanic/Latino, and 2905 were positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection. The urban Hispanic/Latino population was almost five times more likely to test positive for SARS-CoV-2 (risk ratio 4.97, 95% CI 2.59-9.53, P < 0.001) compared to non-Hispanic White. The positivity rates among the urban Hispanic/Latino population remained >10% during all phases of reopening. The trends of the incidence rates showed similar associations to those we observed for positivity rates. Public health interventions to address SARS-CoV-2 in Hispanic/Latino communities are urgently needed, even in latter phases of state reopening.
Highlights
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), has resulted in a worldwide pandemic including over 19.8 million cases in the United States as of 31 December 2020 [1]
To understand how reopening affected SARS-CoV-2 cases, with a focus on Hispanic/ Latinos, we reviewed the data from a major federally qualified health centre (FQHC) in Providence, Rhode Island, which consisted of 10 neighborhood clinics and approximately 60 000 patients or one third of the total population in Providence
We examined the number of COVID-19 cases and SARS-CoV-2 per cent positivity over time across different race/ethnicity populations and determined the overall positivity rate and incidence rate per week
Summary
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), has resulted in a worldwide pandemic including over 19.8 million cases in the United States as of 31 December 2020 [1]. Data on the impact of phased reopening on cases of SARS-CoV-2 in populations at higher-risk, including Hispanic/Latinos, are limited.
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