Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

February 24, 2021

The COVID-19 Symptom to Isolation Cascade in a Latinx Community: A Call to Action

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Approximately a quarter of SARS-CoV-2 infected patients at a low-barrier testing site serving a low-income Latinx community in San Francisco were already outside the 10-day window of isolation at the time they received counseling on isolation. Among symptomatic participants (n=145), 83% percent had moderate to high levels of virus (Ct <33). All participants received post-test guidance on the day of testing on how to quarantine while awaiting test results if they were experiencing symptoms or had a recent exposure to someone with COVID-19. Participants with a positive test result received counseling about isolation on a median of day 7 (out of a ten day recommended quarantine period). Access to a test site was the most common barrier to testing, and food and income loss was the most commonly reported barrier to isolation.

Rubio et al. (Feb 1, 2021). The COVID-19 Symptom to Isolation Cascade in a Latinx Community: A Call to Action. Open Forum Infectious Diseases. https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofab023