September 9, 2020

COVID-19 Prevalence among People Experiencing Homelessness and Homelessness Service Staff during Early Community Transmission in Atlanta, Georgia, April-May 2020

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Transmission

Keywords (Tags): transmission

• In Atlanta, Georgia, people experiencing homelessness who were living in shelters had higher SARS-CoV-2 prevalence compared with those living unsheltered (2% vs. 0.5%). These findings were based on a survey of 2,860 individuals at 24 shelters and 9 unsheltered outreach events undergoing SARS-CoV-2 testing (April 7-May 6, 2020). Prevalence by shelter ranged from 0% to 28%. Repeat testing 3-4 weeks later at 4 shelters documented decreased SARS-CoV-2 prevalence (0%-4%). The authors suggest that facility-wide testing in congregate settings for identification and isolation of COVID-19 cases is an important strategy to interrupt SARS-CoV-2 transmission.Yoon et al. (Sept 8, 2020). COVID-19 Prevalence among People Experiencing Homelessness and Homelessness Service Staff during Early Community Transmission in Atlanta, Georgia, April-May 2020. Clinical Infectious Diseases. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciaa1340