SARS-CoV-2 Heterogeneity by Ethnicity in Los Angeles

Abstract

Recent studies have identified notable disparities in SARS-CoV-2 infection risk among ethnic minorities. We evaluated SARS-CoV-2 test results from individuals presenting for testing in Los Angeles between June-December, 2020. We calculated prevalence ratios for various employment categories. Among 518,914 test results, of which 295,295 (56.9%) were from individuals reporting Hispanic ethnicity, SARS-CoV-2 positivity was 16.5% among Hispanic individuals compared to 5.0% among non-Hispanic individuals (p-value<0.01). The prevalence ratios comparing Hispanic and non-Hispanic individuals was highest for members of the media (PR=6.7; 95% CI 4.3-10.4), government employees (PR=4.0; 95% CI 3.3-4.9), and agricultural workers (PR=4.0; 95% CI 3.2-5.0). Such heterogeneity warrants further investigation in order to develop targeted public health interventions towards specific drivers of SARS-CoV-2 transmission.