Successful public health measures preventing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) at a Michigan homeless shelter

• Published in: Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology Vol. 42; no. 9; pp. 1155 - 1156
• Main Authors: Kelly, Dan, Murphy, Holly, Vadlamudi, Ravi, Kraut, Ruth, Dalessio, Kate, Malani, Anurag N, Glabach, Meghan, Marquez, Juan Luis
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Cambridge University Press 01.09.2021
• Subjects: Comorbidity; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 diagnostic tests; Disease prevention; Disease transmission; Drug abuse; Economic development; Emergency medical care; Epidemics; Homeless people; Homelessness; Housing; Humans; Ill-Housed Persons; Infections; Letter to the Editor; Masks; Mental disorders; Mental health; Michigan - epidemiology; Pandemics; Population; Public Health; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Shelters; Social distancing; Michigan; United States > US
• ISSN: 0899-823X; 1559-6834
• DOI: 10.1017/ice.2020.439

To the Editor—Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread rapidly in homeless shelters across the United States.1,2 An investigation in 5 cities identified 37% and 21% severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) positivity among residents and staff, respectively.3 In response, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urged testing all residents and staff of homeless shelters on April 22.4 Delonis Center is the only adult shelter for Washtenaw County (population, 350,000) with 5,000 homeless persons countywide, serving >1,100 people annually. [...]where prior reports of COVID-19 among homeless shelters and other congregate settings have been concerning, our experience is hopeful. Acknowledgments We acknowledge the contributions of Delonis Shelter Staff, Office of Community Economic Development, Washtenaw County Health Department and St Joseph Mercy Hospital.