Version 1
: Received: 26 October 2023 / Approved: 26 October 2023 / Online: 26 October 2023 (11:34:13 CEST)
Version 2
: Received: 3 December 2023 / Approved: 4 December 2023 / Online: 4 December 2023 (04:21:35 CET)
Tobin-Salzman, S.C.; Cooper, D.; McNamara, B.J.; Athan, E.; Bennett, C.M. Demographic Characteristics of Unvaccinated Asymptomatic and Symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Cases in Barwon South West, Victoria, Australia. Pathogens2023, 12, 1420.
Tobin-Salzman, S.C.; Cooper, D.; McNamara, B.J.; Athan, E.; Bennett, C.M. Demographic Characteristics of Unvaccinated Asymptomatic and Symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Cases in Barwon South West, Victoria, Australia. Pathogens 2023, 12, 1420.
Tobin-Salzman, S.C.; Cooper, D.; McNamara, B.J.; Athan, E.; Bennett, C.M. Demographic Characteristics of Unvaccinated Asymptomatic and Symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Cases in Barwon South West, Victoria, Australia. Pathogens2023, 12, 1420.
Tobin-Salzman, S.C.; Cooper, D.; McNamara, B.J.; Athan, E.; Bennett, C.M. Demographic Characteristics of Unvaccinated Asymptomatic and Symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Cases in Barwon South West, Victoria, Australia. Pathogens 2023, 12, 1420.
Abstract
We investigated 328 SARS-CoV-2 cases in Barwon South West Victoria, Australia, in the 2020 pre-vaccination period, comparing infections with symptoms to those that remained asymptomatic. De-identified self-reported data from three sequential questionnaires on case characteristics and symptom progression were examined. Multivariable logistic regression were used to model associations between demographic profile and symptoms. Asymptomatic cases were more than three times as likely to be from ethnic minority groups [OR 3.2, 95% CI 1.5 – 6.7, p<0.01], and approximately seven times more likely to be seniors (≥ 65 years) [OR 7.3, 95% CI 1.0 – 50.1] after adjusting for sex and occupation. The overrepresentation of ethnic minority groups among asymptomatic infections is suggestive of genetic haplotype variability by ethnic group, conferring greater cross protection from other coronaviruses in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. This research should be repeated post-vaccination to reassess symptom expression according to ethnicity, and better comprehend case ascertainment impacts of cultural biases in testing and infection reporting, and the reliance on symptoms to trigger testing. These findings may in part reflect differences in testing patterns by ethnicity and true differences in disease expression, both important for appropriate transmission prevention strategies, and tailoring testing messaging towards ethnic minority communities.
Public Health and Healthcare, Public Health and Health Services
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
