SARS-CoV-2 Positivity in Foreign-Born Adults: A Retrospective Study in Verona, Northeast Italy
Abstract
:1. Introduction
Aims
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- To analyze the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among the migrant working adult population (18–65 years old) in comparison with Italians living in the Verona area;
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- To describe the pattern in access of foreign-born adults to COVID-19 health services and to assess whether being a migrant confers an increased risk of infection and leads to a diagnostic delay;
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- To give insights into the monitoring and intervention within public health by emphasizing the need to take more care of these more vulnerable populations in the case of epidemics;
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- To delineate priorities for research and intervention to enhance and improve occupational health surveillance of migrant workers.
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Study Design and Sample Collection
2.2. Inclusion Criteria
2.3. Exclusion Criteria
2.4. Multiplex Real-Time RT–PCR for SARS-CoV-2 Detection
2.5. Statistical Analysis
3. Results
4. Discussion
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Total n = 105,774 | Italians n = 86,376 | Foreign-Born n = 19,398 | p-Value | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Gender (Female) | 59,896 (56.63%) | 48,062 (55.64%) | 11,834 (61.01%) | p < 0.001 |
Age (years) (median, p25–p75) | 45 (33–55) | 46 (33–56) | 42 (34–51) | p < 0.001 |
Age class (years) | p < 0.001 | |||
18–29 | 19,351 (18.29%) | 16,528 (19.13%) | 2823 (14.55%) | |
30–39 | 21,148 (19.99%) | 15,885 (18.39%) | 5263 (27.13%) | |
40–49 | 23,446 (22.17%) | 17,918 (20.74%) | 5528 (28.50%) | |
50–59 | 28,163 (26.63%) | 23,937 (27.71%) | 4226 (21.79%) | |
60–65 | 13,666 (12.92%) | 12,108 (14.02%) | 1558 (8.03%) | |
Time of sampling | p < 0.001 | |||
Before vaccination | 52,552 (49.7%) | 43,395 (50.2%) | 9157 (47.2%) | |
During the first campaign | 24,679 (23.3%) | 19,585 (22.7%) | 5094 (26.3%) | |
After the first campaign | 28,543 (27.0%) | 23,396 (27.1%) | 5147 (26.5%) | |
Source of referral | p < 0.001 | |||
Verona Local Health Unit (ULSS 9) | 53,847 (50.9%) | 44,896 (52.0%) | 8951 (46.1%) | |
Verona University Hospital (AOUI) | 50,687 (47.9%) | 40,472 (46.9%) | 10,215 (52.7%) | |
Other | 1240 (1.2%) | 1008 (1.2%) | 232 (1.2%) |
Italians n = 86,376 | Foreign Born n = 19,398 | |
---|---|---|
Swab (Positive) | 25,991 (30.09%) | 4968 (25.61%) |
Gender | ||
Male | 12,347 (32.23%) | 2197 (29.05%) |
Female | 13,644 (28.39%) | 2771 (23.42%) |
p < 0.001 | p < 0.001 | |
Age class (years) | ||
18–29 | 5199 (31.46%) | 659 (23.34%) |
30–39 | 4529 (28.51%) | 1270 (24.13%) |
40–49 | 5538 (30.91%) | 1501 (27.15%) |
50–59 | 7541 (31.50%) | 1145 (27.09%) |
60–65 | 3184 (26.30%) | 393 (25.22%) |
p < 0.001 | p < 0.001 | |
Time of sampling | ||
Before vaccination | 12,204 (28.1%) | 2265 (24.7%) |
During the first vaccination campaign | 6014 (30.7%) | 1496 (29.4%) |
After the first vaccination campaign | 7733 (33.2%) | 1207 (23.5%) |
p < 0.001 | p < 0.001 | |
Source of referral | ||
Verona Local Health Unit (ULSS 9) | 17,422 (38.8%) | 3315 (37.0%) |
Verona University Hospital (AOUI) | 8486 (21.0%) | 1630 (16.0%) |
Other | 83 (8.2%) | 23 (9.9%) |
p < 0.001 | p < 0.001 |
Odds Ratio (95% CI) | p-Value | |
---|---|---|
Nationality | ||
Italian | 1 (Reference) | |
Foreign-born | 0.85 (0.82–0.89) | p < 0.001 |
Gender | ||
Female | 1 (Reference) | |
Male | 1.18 (1.14–1.21) | p < 0.001 |
Age class (years) | ||
18–29 | 1 (Reference) | |
30–39 | 1.00 (0.96–1.04) | 0.973 |
40–49 | 1.07 (1.03–1.12) | 0.001 |
50–59 | 1.13 (1.08–1.17) | p < 0.001 |
60–65 | 0.95 (0.90–1.00) | 0.034 |
Time of sampling | ||
Before vaccination | 1 (Reference) | |
During the first vaccination campaign | 1.19 (1.15–1.23) | p < 0.001 |
After the first vaccination campaign | 2.35 (2.26–2.44) | p < 0.001 |
Source of referral | ||
Verona Local Health Unit (ULSS 9) | 1 (Reference) | |
Verona University Hospital (AOUI) | 0.16 (0.13–0.19) | p < 0.001 |
Other | 0.28 (0.27–0.29) | p < 0.001 |
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Lotti, V.; Spiteri, G.; Caliskan, G.; Monaco, M.G.L.; Gibellini, D.; Verlato, G.; Porru, S. SARS-CoV-2 Positivity in Foreign-Born Adults: A Retrospective Study in Verona, Northeast Italy. Life 2024, 14, 663. https://doi.org/10.3390/life14060663
Lotti V, Spiteri G, Caliskan G, Monaco MGL, Gibellini D, Verlato G, Porru S. SARS-CoV-2 Positivity in Foreign-Born Adults: A Retrospective Study in Verona, Northeast Italy. Life. 2024; 14(6):663. https://doi.org/10.3390/life14060663
Chicago/Turabian StyleLotti, Virginia, Gianluca Spiteri, Gulser Caliskan, Maria Grazia Lourdes Monaco, Davide Gibellini, Giuseppe Verlato, and Stefano Porru. 2024. "SARS-CoV-2 Positivity in Foreign-Born Adults: A Retrospective Study in Verona, Northeast Italy" Life 14, no. 6: 663. https://doi.org/10.3390/life14060663