Epidemiology of COVID-19 among people experiencing homelessness: Early evidence from Boston

Abstract

People experiencing homelessness are at high risk for coronavirus disease (COVID-19). We estimated population frequencies of confirmed COVID-19 cases among adults experiencing homelessness in Boston relative to the Massachusetts adult population. Over a 15-day period, 182 homeless adults in Boston were diagnosed with COVID-19 for an estimated cumulative frequency of 46.3 cases per 1000 persons, as compared to 1.9 cases per 1000 among Massachusetts adults on the same date. The trajectory and burden of COVID-19 cases among homeless adults suggests that cities should prepare urgently for the possibility of a COVID-19 surge in this population.