Interventions to Mitigate the Impact of COVID-19 Among People Experiencing Sheltered Homelessness: Chicago, Illinois, March 1, 2020

Interventions to Mitigate the Impact of COVID-19 Among People Experiencing Sheltered Homelessness: Chicago, Illinois, March 1, 2020–May 11, 2023

Published:2024-08-28 Issue: Volume: Page:e1-e9
ISSN:0090-0036
Container-title:American Journal of Public Health
language:en
Short-container-title:Am J Public Health

Author:

Tietje Lauren¹^ORCID,Ghinai Isaac¹,Cooper Antea¹^ORCID,Tung Elizabeth L.¹^ORCID,Borah Brian¹^ORCID,Funk Michelle¹,Ramachandran Divya¹^ORCID,Gerber Ben¹,Man Bernice¹,Singer Rebecca¹,Bell Elizabeth¹,Moss Angela¹^ORCID,Weidemiller Andrew¹,Chaudhry Mehreen¹,Lendacki Frances¹^ORCID,Bernard Rachel¹^ORCID,Gretsch Stephanie¹^ORCID,English Kayla¹,Huggett Thomas D.¹^ORCID,Tornabene Mary¹,Cool Caroline¹,Detmer Wayne M.¹^ORCID,Schroeter Mary Kate¹,Mayer Stockton¹^ORCID,Davis Elizabeth¹^ORCID,Boegner Josh¹,Glenn Erik Elias¹,Phillips Gregory¹^ORCID,Falck Suzanne¹,Barranco Lindsay¹,Toews Karrie-Ann¹^ORCID

Affiliation:

1. Lauren Tietje, Michelle Funk, Divya Ramachandran, Andrew Weidemiller, Mehreen Chaudhry, Frances Lendacki, Rachel Bernard, Stephanie Gretsch, Kayla English, and Mary Kate Schroeter are with the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH), Chicago, IL. Isaac Ghinai, Antea Cooper, Lindsay Barranco, and Karrie-Ann Toews are with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA. Elizabeth L. Tung is with the Section of General Internal Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago. Brian Borah, Ben...

Abstract

Objectives. To compare the incidence, case-hospitalization rates, and vaccination rates of COVID-19 between people experiencing sheltered homelessness (PESH) and the broader community in Chicago, Illinois, and describe the impact of a whole community approach to disease mitigation during the public health emergency. Methods. Incidence of COVID-19 among PESH was compared with community-wide incidence using case-based surveillance data from March 1, 2020, to May 11, 2023. Seven-day rolling means of COVID-19 incidence were assessed for the overall study period and for each of 6 distinct waves of COVID-19 transmission. Results. A total of 774 009 cases of COVID-19 were detected: 2579 among PESH and 771 430 in the broader community. Incidence and hospitalization rates per 100 000 in PESH were more than 5 times higher (99.84 vs 13.94 and 16.88 vs 2.14) than the community at large in wave 1 (March 1, 2020–October 3, 2020). This difference decreased through wave 3 (March 7, 2021–June 26, 2021), with PESH having a lower incidence rate per 100 000 than the wider community (8.02 vs 13.03). Incidence and hospitalization of PESH rose again to rates higher than the broader community in waves 4 through 6 but never returned to wave 1 levels. Throughout the study period, COVID-19 incidence among PESH was 2.88 times higher than that of the community (70.90 vs 24.65), and hospitalization was 4.56 times higher among PESH (7.51 vs 1.65). Conclusions. Our findings suggest that whole-community approaches can minimize disparities in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission between vulnerable populations and the broader community, and reinforce the benefits of a shared approach that include multiple partners when addressing public health emergencies in special populations. ( Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print August 28, 2024:e1–e9. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307801 )

Publisher

American Public Health Association

Link

https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/pdf/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307801

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