Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

May 11, 2020

Comprehensive Testing Highlights Racial Ethnic and Age Disparities in the COVID-19 Outbreak

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  • Ahmed et al. compared the characteristics of 1,229 (6.1%) SARS-CoV-2-positive patients to 18,859 (93.9%) people who tested negative in Salt Lake County, Utah. Adjusted for symptoms, Hispanic or Latino persons were 2-fold more likely than non-Hispanic white individuals to test positive (aOR=2.0, 95%CI: 1.3-3.1). 
  • Risk of hospitalization was higher among people aged 60+ compared to people aged 0-19 (aOR=6.9, 95%CI: 2.1-22.5). Younger individuals (aged 0-19) were underrepresented in both overall rates of testing and rates of testing positive. 

Ahmed et al. (May 9, 2020). Comprehensive Testing Highlights Racial Ethnic and Age Disparities in the COVID-19 Outbreak. Pre-print downloaded May 11 from https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.05.05.20092031