Ethnoracial Disparities in SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence in a Large Cohort of Individuals in Central North Carolina from April to December 2020

Abstract

PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 cases underestimate true prevalence. Few robust community-level SARS-CoV-2 ethnoracial and overall prevalence estimates have been published for North Carolina in 2020.

SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Prevalence among Industrial Livestock Operation Workers and Nearby Community Residents, North Carolina, 2021 to 2022

“…A study of the joint effects of socioeconomic position estimated by education level, race/ethnicity, and gender on COVID-19 mortality among working-age adults found the same trends of higher COVID-19 mortality for low versus high socioeconomic position for adults and for Black and Hispanic/Latino versus White adults ( 40 ). Our results are also consistent with elevated rates of infection-induced seroprevalence among Hispanic/Latino and Black compared with White blood donors across the United States ( 24 ) and elevated infection-induced seroprevalence among Hispanic/Latino and Black North Carolina residents in surveillance based on hospital remnant blood samples ( 16 ), as well as with disproportionate numbers of cases and deaths among Hispanic/Latino, Native American, and Black communities ( 14 ). People with fewer socioeconomic resources are less able to use different strategies to avoid exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and more likely to work in crowded occupations or occupations with contact with the public ( 40 ).…”

“…As the prevalence of COVID-19 increased in summer and fall 2020, the importance of any single transmission route decreased; also, if many meatpacking workers and nearby residents were infected earlier on, those communities might have a greater rate of at least temporary immunity ( 31 ). Our group definitions of ILO, ILON, and metro also collapse many differences that have been connected to exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19: time, age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, and urbanicity, among others ( 14 – 16 ).…”

SARS-CoV-2 antibody prevalence among industrial livestock operation workers and nearby community residents, North Carolina, USA, 2021-2022

“…A study of the joint effects of socioeconomic position estimated by education level, race/ethnicity, and gender on COVID-19 mortality among working-age adults found the same trends of higher COVID-19 mortality for low vs. high socioeconomic position adults and for Black and Hispanic/Latino vs. White adults (41). Our results are also consistent with elevated rates of infection-induced seroprevalence among Hispanic/Latino and Black compared with White blood donors across the US (24) and elevated infection-induced seroprevalence among Hispanic/Latino and Black North Carolina residents in surveillance based on hospital remnant blood samples (16), as well as with disproportionate numbers of cases and deaths among Hispanic/Latino, Native American, and Black communities (14). People with fewer socioeconomic resources are less able to use different strategies to avoid exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and more likely to work in crowded occupations or occupations with contact with the .…”

“…As the prevalence of COVID-19 increased in summer and fall 2020, the importance of any single transmission route decreased; also, if many meatpacking workers and nearby residents were infected earlier on, those communities might have a greater rate of at least temporary immunity (32). Our group definitions of ILO, ILON, and Metro also collapse many differences that have been connected to exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19: time, age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, and urbanicity, among others (14–16).…”

“…High numbers of COVID-19 cases have also been associated with food processing, food manufacturing, and agricultural workplaces more broadly (13). COVID-19 has disproportionately burdened low income communities of color (14)(15)(16). Disparities by race and ethnicity are also evident among livestock processing and agricultural workers (10,13).…”