目的:惩教设施的物理环境促进传染病的传播和暴发。这项研究的目的是比较COVID-19大流行期间安大略省教养所(被监禁的个人和工作人员)和非教养所人群之间的COVID-19负担。
方法:纳入了安大略省所有在2020年1月15日至2022年12月31日期间实验室确认SARS-CoV-2并输入省级COVID-19数据的个体。案件被归类为惩教设施案件(在惩教设施中生活或工作)或非惩教设施案件。COVID-19疫苗接种情况从省级COVID-19疫苗登记处获得。加拿大统计局的人口普查数据用于计算被监禁病例和非惩教设施人口的COVID-19发病率和住院率。
结果:在2020年1月15日至2022年12月31日之间,安大略省有1,550,045例COVID-19病例,其中8,292例(0.53%)是在惩教中报告的(63.8%在被监禁者中,工作人员中的18.6%和未知分类中的17.7%)和1,541,753(99.47%)是非教养所案件。惩教设施中的大多数病例是男性(83.8%)和20-59岁(93.1%)。在整个研究期间,被监禁者的COVID-19发病率和住院率普遍高于非教养所人群。COVID-19的发病率在2022年1月达到顶峰,无论是惩教设施人口(每10万人21,543.8人)还是非惩教设施人口(每10万人1915.1人)。2021年3月,20-59岁的惩教设施人口的COVID-19住院率达到峰值(每10万人中70.7人),2021年4月,20-59岁的非惩教设施人口的COVID-19住院率达到峰值(每10万人中19.8人)。与非教养所人群(49.3%)相比,被监禁者在COVID-19诊断时未接种疫苗的比例更高(73.0%)。惩教所病例中的死亡很少见(0.1%,6/8,292),而非惩教所案件为1.0%(n=15,787/1,541,753)。
结论:在COVID-19大流行期间,与非教养所人群相比,安大略省被监禁在教养所的人群COVID-19发病率和住院率较高.这些结果支持优先考虑被监禁者进行公共卫生干预,以减轻COVID-19对惩教设施的影响。
OBJECTIVE: The physical environment of correctional facilities promote infectious disease transmission and outbreaks. The purpose of this study is to compare the COVID-19 burden between the correctional facility (
incarcerated individuals and staff members) and non-correctional facility population in Ontario during the COVID-19 pandemic.
METHODS: All individuals in Ontario with a laboratory confirmation of SARS-CoV-2 between 15 January 2020 and 31 December 2022 and entered into the provincial COVID-19 data were included. Cases were classified as a correctional facility case (living or working in a correctional facility) or a non-correctional facility case. COVID-19 vaccination status was obtained from the provincial COVID-19 vaccine registry. Statistics Canada census data were used to calculate COVID-19 incidence and hospitalization rates for incarcerated cases and the non-correctional facility population.
RESULTS: Between 15 January 2020 and 31 December 2022, there were 1,550,045 COVID-19 cases in Ontario of which 8,292 (0.53%) cases were reported in correctional (63.8% amongst incarcerated individuals, 18.6% amongst staff and 17.7% amongst an unknown classification) and 1,541,753 (99.47%) were non-correctional facility cases. Most cases in correctional facilities were men (83.8%) and aged 20-59 years (93.1%). COVID-19 incidence and hospitalization rates were generally higher among
incarcerated individuals compared to the non-correctional facility population throughout the study period. COVID-19 incidence peaked in January 2022 for both the correctional facility population (21,543.8 per 100,000 population) and the non-correctional facility population (1915.1 per 100,000 population). The rate of COVID-19 hospitalizations peaked for the correctional facility population aged 20-59 in March 2021 (70.7 per 100,000 population) and in April 2021 for the non-correctional facility population aged 20-59 (19.8 per 100,000 population). A greater percentage of
incarcerated individuals (73.0%) were unvaccinated at time of their COVID-19 diagnosis compared to the non-correctional facility population (49.3%). Deaths amongst correctional facility cases were rare (0.1%, 6 / 8,292) compared to 1.0% of non-correctional facility cases (n = 15,787 / 1,541,753).
CONCLUSIONS: During the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals
incarcerated in correctional facilities in Ontario had higher COVID-19 incidence and hospitalization rates compared to the non-correctional facility population. These results support prioritizing
incarcerated individuals for public health interventions to mitigate COVID-19 impacts in correctional facilities.