Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

January 14, 2021

Testing, Infection and Complication Rates of COVID-19 among People with a Recent History of Homelessness in Ontario, Canada: A Retrospective Cohort Study

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A population-based retrospective cohort study in Ontario, Canada (n=29,407) found that compared to community-dwelling people, people with a recent history of homelessness were more likely to be tested for SARS-CoV-2 and to have a positive test result during the pre-shutdown, peak, and reopening phases of the pandemic. During the peak period, people with a recent history of homelessness were over 20-times as likely to be admitted to hospital for COVID-19, over 10-times as likely to require intensive care for COVID-19, and over 5-times as likely to die within 21 days of their first positive test result.

Richard et al. (Jan 11, 2021). Testing, Infection and Complication Rates of COVID-19 among People with a Recent History of Homelessness in Ontario, Canada: A Retrospective Cohort Study. CMAJ Open. https://doi.org/10.9778/cmajo.20200287