HealthDay Reports: Homeless Shelters Are 'TinderBoxes' for Coronavirus, Studies Show
Homeless shelters across the country have been hit hard by coronavirus due to issues such as close quarters, crowding and underlying medical conditions in residents.
Homeless Shelters Are 'TinderBoxes' for Coronavirus, Studies Show
THURSDAY, April 23, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Even at the beginning of April, large percentages of residents at U.S. homeless shelters were testing positive for the new coronavirus, studies show.
One study looked at the results of coronavirus testing conducted at homeless shelters in four American cities -- Atlanta, Boston, San Francisco and Seattle. Testing included almost 1,200 residents and 300 staffers and was done in late March and early April, according to a team led by Emily Mosites, from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The findings: In Boston, 36% of homeless shelter residents and 30% of staff tested positive for the new coronavirus; in San Francisco those numbers were 66% and 16%, respectively; and in Seattle infections were 17% for both residents and staff.