TY - JOUR
TI - Transmission dynamics of sars-cov-2 during an outbreak in a roma community in thessaly, greece—control measures and lessons learned
AU - Koureas, M.
AU - Speletas, M.
AU - Bogogiannidou, Z.
AU - Babalis, D.
AU - Pinakas, V.
AU - Pinaka, O.
AU - Komnos, A.
AU - Tsoutsa, S.
AU - Papadamou, G.
AU - Kyritsi, M.A.
AU - Vontas, A.
AU - Nakoulas, V.
AU - Sapoynas, S.
AU - Kanellopoulos, N.
AU - Kalompatsios, D.
AU - Papadouli, V.
AU - Dadouli, K.
AU - Soteriades, S.
AU - Mina, P.
AU - Mouchtouri, V.A.
AU - Anagnostopoulos, L.
AU - Stamoulis, K.E.
AU - Agorastos, K.
AU - Petinaki, E.A.
AU - Prezerakos, P.
AU - Tsiodras, S.
AU - Hadjichristodoulou, C.
JO - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
PY - 2021
VL - 18
TODO - 6
SP - 1-13
PB - MDPI AG
SN - 1660-4601
TODO - 10.3390/ijerph18062878
TODO - COVID-19;  disease control;  disease spread;  disease transmission;  disease treatment;  health risk;  household survey;  public health;  vulnerability, adolescent;  adult;  aged;  Article;  chi square test;  child;  comorbidity;  contact examination;  controlled study;  coronavirus disease 2019;  cycle threshold value;  demography;  disease transmission;  female;  Fisher exact test;  Greece;  hospitalization;  household;  human;  infant;  isolation facility;  logistic regression analysis;  major clinical study;  male;  mass screening;  nonhuman;  prevalence;  real time polymerase chain reaction;  risk factor;  secondary attack rate;  Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2;  epidemic;  epidemiology;  Romani (people), Greece;  Italy;  Lazio;  Roma [Lazio];  Rome, SARS coronavirus, COVID-19;  Disease Outbreaks;  Greece;  Humans;  Roma;  SARS-CoV-2
TODO - A COVID-19 outbreak occurred among residents of a Roma settlement in Greece (8 April– 4 June 2020). The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with an increased risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and to evaluate the effectiveness of control measures implemented. Data were analyzed from individuals that were tested for SARS-CoV-2 during contact tracing, population screening or hospital visits. RT-PCR was used for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in oropharyngeal samples. Risk factors for household secondary attack rates (SAR) and hospitalization with COVID-19 were examined using chi-square tests, Fisher’s exact tests and logistic regression analyses. During the outbreak, 142 cases, 20 hospitalizations and 1 death were recorded, with a total of 2273 individuals tested. The risk of hospitalization was associated with age (OR: 1.04, 95% CI: 1.02–1.07) and Cycle threshold (Ct) values (OR for a decrease in Ct values by 1: 1.18, 95% CI: 1.07–1.31). Household SAR was estimated at 38.62% (95% CI: 32.50%– 45.01%). After the designation of an isolation facility for cases, household SAR declined from 74.42% to 31.03%. Household size was associated with the risk of infection (OR: 2.65, 95% CI: 1.00–7.07). The presence of COVID-19 symptoms among index cases was correlated with higher transmission (OR: 23.68, 95% CI 2.21–253.74) in multivariate analysis, while age was found to be associated with SAR only in univariate analysis. Roma communities can be particularly vulnerable to the spread of SARS-CoV-2. In similar settings, symptomatic cases are more important transmitters of SARS-CoV-2. Within these communities, immediate measures should be implemented to mitigate disease spread. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
ER -