Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

March 29, 2021

Characterizing the Disproportionate Burden of SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern among Essential Workers in the Greater Toronto Area Canada

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  • [Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] In the Greater Toronto Area, Canada, SARS-CoV-2 cases defined as variant of concern (VOC) emerged faster in groups with the lowest income (growth rate 43.8%, 34.6%, and 21.6% by income tertile from lowest to highest), and the most essential work (growth rate 18.4%, 30.8%, and 50.8% by essential work tertile from lowest to highest) from February 3 to March 10, 2021. VOC cases included the N501Y mutation present in multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants;93% of samples sequenced were the B.1.1.7 variant. The study examined data from individuals with laboratory-confirmed infection (N=22,478) and census data for neighborhood attributes. The authors note these trends are consistent with the increased burden of non-VOC COVID-19 cases, suggesting shared risk factors.

Chagla et al. (Mar 26, 2021). Characterizing the Disproportionate Burden of SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern among Essential Workers in the Greater Toronto Area Canada. Pre-print downloaded Mar 29 from https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.03.22.21254127