Socioeconomic Disparities in Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Serological Testing and Positivity in New York City

Abstract

Background We characterized SARS-CoV-2 antibody test prevalence and positive test prevalence across New York City (NYC) in order to investigate disparities in testing outcomes by race and socioeconomic status (SES). Methods Serologic data were downloaded from the NYC Coronavirus data repository (August 2020–December 2020). Area-level characteristics for NYC neighborhoods were downloaded from U.S. census data and a socioeconomic vulnerability index was created. Spatial generalized linear mixed models were performed to examine the association between SES and antibody testing and positivity. Results The proportion of Hispanic population (Posterior Median: 0.001, 95% Credible Interval: 0.0003-0.002), healthcare workers (0.003, 0.0001-0.006), essential workers (0.003, 0.001-0.005), age ≥ 65 years (0.003, 0.00002-0.006), and high SES (SES quartile 3 vs 1: 0.034, 0.003-0.062) were positively associated with antibody tests per 100,000 residents. The White proportion (-0.002, -0.003- -0.001), SES index (quartile 3 vs 1: -0.068, -0.115- -0.017; quartile 4 vs 1: -0.077- -0.134, -0.018) and age ≥ 65 years (-0.005, -0.009- -0.002) were inversely associated with positivity, whereas the Hispanic (0.004, 0.002-0.006), and essential worker proportions (0.008, 0.003-0.012) had positive coefficients. Conclusions Disparities in serologic testing and seropositivity exist on socioeconomic status and race/ethnicity across NYC, indicative of excess COVID-19 burden in vulnerable and marginalized populations.

SARS-CoV-2 serosurvey across multiple waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City between 2020-2023

“…The COVID-19 pandemic intensified racial and economic disparities in health 24 . Our data collected in the early waves, indicate that seropositivity was relatively high in adults selfidentifying as Black and Others, pointing to higher infection rates in essential workers lacking the possibility to socially distance or due socioeconomic constraints leading to more crowded living conditions 25,26 . Our serosurveillance system revealed other sociodemographic trends by age.…”

SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity and COVID-19 among 5 years-old Amazonian children and their association with poverty and food insecurity

“…We note, however, that some SARS-CoV-2 seropositive children may have been misclassified as having experienced clinically apparent COVID-19 in our study if they had other poverty-related respiratory infections leading to cough, shortness of breath, or loss of taste or smell. Importantly, socially vulnerable people are less likely to be tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection, but more likely to be positive once tested [ 32 ]. Here we present further evidence that, as in the United States and United Kingdom [ 33 ], the socioeconomic and ethnic status are associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 risk in Brazil [ 34 , 35 ].…”

Assessment of unvaccinated and vaccinated patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) treated with monoclonal antibodies during the delta wave (July 1–August 20, 2021): a retrospective observational monocentric study

“…Overall, 30-day admission for mAb untreated, SARS-CoV-2 positive patients at our hospital (regardless of vaccine status) was low at 4% (22/538) between July and August 2021, perhaps due to a high background rate of prior infection (seroprevalence of 24.3% prior to Omicron surge) along with steadily increasing uptake of vaccination [ 32 ]. The overall admission rate of mAb-treated patients was similarly low at 6%.…”

“…The overall admission rate of mAb-treated patients was similarly low at 6%. Lieberman-Cribbin et al reported that the Bronx residents are more likely to have increased SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity suggestive of past infection [ 32 ].…”