Exposure and risk factors for COVID-19 and the impact of staying home on Michigan residents

Abstract

COVID-19 has had a substantial impact on clinical care and lifestyles globally. The State of Michigan reports over 80,000 positive COVID-19 tests between March 1, 2020 and July 29, 2020. We surveyed 8,041 Michigan Medicine biorepository participants in late June 2020. We found that 55% of COVID-19 cases reported no known exposure to family members or to someone outside the house diagnosed with COVID-19. A significantly higher rate of COVID-19 cases were employed as essential workers (45% vs 19%, p = 9x10-12). COVID-19 cases reporting a fever were more likely to require hospitalization (categorized as severe; OR = 4.4 [95% CI: 1.6–12.5, p = 0.005]) whereas respondents reporting rhinorrhea was less likely to require hospitalization (categorized as mild-to-moderate; OR = 0.16 [95% CI: 0.04–0.73, p = 0.018]). African-Americans reported higher rates of being diagnosed with COVID-19 (OR = 4.0 [95% CI: 2.2–7.2, p = 5x10-6]), as well as higher rates of exposure to family or someone outside the household diagnosed with COVID-19, an annual household income < $40,000, living in rental housing, and chronic diseases. During the Executive Order in Michigan, African Americans, women, and the lowest income group reported worsening health behaviors and higher overall concern for the potential detrimental effects of the pandemic. The higher risk of contracting COVID-19 observed among African Americans may be due to the increased rates of working as essential employees, lower socioeconomic status, and exposure to known positive cases. Continued efforts should focus on COVID-19 prevention and mitigation strategies, as well as address the inequality gaps that result in higher risks for both short-term and long-term health outcomes.

Risk factors for COVID-19 infection and disease severity in Nigeria: a case-control study

“…Our sub-analysis of cases in this study identified age of 50 years or greater, male sex, hypertension, and diabetes as risk factors of severe SARS-CoV-2 disease while being of Hausa ethnicity was found to be associated with lower odds of severe disease. Previous studies found exposure or contact with a confirmed case to be a risk factor for COVID-19 infection [ 12 - 14 ]. For lack of a more complete database of individuals who tested negative, contacts of confirmed cases were used as controls in this study, and this prevented the usual assessment of exposure to confirmed cases as a risk factor for the infection.…”

“…Our study demonstrated a 48% reduction in risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2 among those who used private transportation. Although it is generally understood that public transportation can predispose to various respiratory diseases, few actual studies except modelling studies have shown increased risk or reduction in risk when using private transportation [ 12 , 22 ]. For most resource-poor countries public transportation is the main source of transportation, and only a few can afford private transportation.…”

Gender differences in bodyweight change following COVID-19 lockdown measures in the Netherlands: a prospective longitudinal study

“…Given that stress arguably plays an important role in linking lockdown measures to poorer dietary choices and decreased physical activity,1 2 gender differences in bodyweight gain following the implementation of measures to contain the pandemic may be expected. This is because these measures may elicit a stronger stress response among women than among men 11 22. Moreover, stress has been found to be more strongly associated with suboptimal dietary choices and bodyweight gain among women than among men 23–25.…”

Assessing the added value of linking electronic health records to improve the prediction of self-reported COVID-19 testing and diagnosis

“…A focal point of research has been to identify predictors of COVID-19-related outcomes, such as testing and diagnosis, and use them to build predictive models. Early in the pandemic, COVID-19 testing was targeted at those who had symptoms or were thought to be high risk [ 9 ], meaning that healthcare worker status, essential worker status, and severity of COVID-19 symptoms are all effective predictors of being tested [ 10 , 11 ]. Studies have also outlined predictors of COVID-19 susceptibility, including demographic features, like age and sex, along with certain comorbidities and social habits [ 9 – 12 ].…”

“…Studies have also outlined predictors of COVID-19 susceptibility, including demographic features, like age and sex, along with certain comorbidities and social habits [ 9 – 12 ]. Non-White racial groups, especially Blacks, are disadvantaged and overrepresented among COVID-19 cases and deaths due to prevailing health disparities and being disproportionately employed as “essential workers” [ 9 – 11 , 13 ].…”