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Researchers have conducted a study showing an extremely high prevalence of severe acute respiratory coronavirus disease 2 (SARS-CoV-2) within a strictly Orthodox Jewish community in the UK.
The SARS-CoV-2 virus is the agent responsible for the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that has caused 105 million infections and more than 2.3 million deaths worldwide.
Evidence of an extremely high infection rate was seen in all age groups, with the highest rates among high school children and working-age adults, where the prevalence reached 74%.
Analysis of the serum of more than 1,200 participants showed that the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in this Jewish population was five times higher than that estimated nationally and for London.
“In this tight-knit religious minority population in the UK, we report one of the highest levels of SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in the world to date,” says the team at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the University College London.
The researchers say the findings provide further evidence that minority communities in the UK and elsewhere are disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Action is urgently required to reduce the burden of disease in this and other minority populations,” write Michael Marks and colleagues.
A pre-printed version of the research paper is available at the medRxiv* server, while the article undergoes peer review.
Minority groups in the UK disproportionately impacted by COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected ethnic minority groups in the UK, who experience increased numbers of SARS-CoV-2 infections and COVID-19 hospitalizations.
The reasons are likely to be multifactorial, with examples including larger households, fewer opportunities to work from home, delayed access to health care, and relative socioeconomic deprivation.
Marks and his colleagues say that most studies to date have focused on larger ethnic minority groups and not on smaller groups, such as the Jewish community.
“In particular, strictly Orthodox Jewish communities had anecdotally reported high rates of infection, morbidity and hospitalization during the first wave of the UK pandemic,” the team writes. “In the spring of 2020, a tight-knit, strictly Orthodox Jewish community in the UK realized that it appeared to be experiencing a heavy burden of SARS-CoV-2.”
What did the researchers do?
To measure the burden of infection and identify factors associated with transmission in a strictly Orthodox Jewish community, researchers conducted a household-centered cross-sectional survey between late October and early December 2020, ahead of the third national shutdown. .
Individuals (n = 1759) living in 343 randomly selected households were asked to complete a standardized questionnaire covering demographics, comorbidities, prior SARS-CoV-2 testing, prior COVID-19 illness, access to care medical condition, severity of illness and assistance at work, education or elsewhere in the community.
Age-specific seroprevalence in study participants. Colors indicate male and female participants.
All households were visited within 10 days of completion of the survey, and 1,242 participants underwent serologic testing with a SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G (IgG) multiplex assay.
A random effects multivariate logistic regression model was used to identify factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection and antibody titers.
What did the study find?
The overall seroprevalence for SARS-CoV-2 was 64.3%, ranging from 27.6% among children under 5 years of age to 73.8% among secondary school children and 74.0% among adults in secondary school. working age.
The researchers say the seroprevalence estimate of 64.3% is significantly higher than the national estimate of 6.9% and 10.8% for London, as a result of a random sampling conducted in October by the Office for National Statistics.
“In this context, there is a significant burden of disease in all age groups, and children of secondary school age have a seroprevalence equivalent to that of adults,” the team says.
“Over the course of 2020, the overall seroprevalence in this tight-knit religious community reached levels similar to those seen in Manaus, Brazil, where more than 65% seroprevalence was reported in adults,” write Michael Marks and colleagues.
Logistic regression analysis revealed that SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity was associated with increasing age, male gender, household size, and the inability to work from home.
Seroprevalence was not associated with attendance at community meetings or with pre-existing comorbidities.
What do the authors advise?
The team says the findings point to an extremely high rate of SARS-CoV-2 infection in this strictly Orthodox Jewish community.
“This provides further evidence that minority communities in the UK and elsewhere are disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic,” say Marks and his colleagues.
The researchers say contextually appropriate measures are urgently needed to reduce the burden of SARS-CoV-2 among minority populations.
“More studies are urgently needed to better understand transmission factors in ethnic and religious minority populations, conducted whenever possible in partnership with the communities themselves, to reduce health disparities and improve outcomes for these populations.” , concludes the team.
*Important news
medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be considered conclusive, guide clinical practice / health-related behavior, or be treated as established information.
