A new report has revealed who in Toronto is most likely to contract COVID-19. Of all of Toronto's COVID-19 cases, those in lower-income and racialized communities have been the hardest hit. The report was released on July 30 by Toronto Public Health.
The data was collected from only those who had been tested for COVID-19 within the Toronto Public Health system.
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First, it is clear from the findings that Torontonians in the lower-income bracket are disproportionately affected by the disease. This includes people in their twenties.
Low-income Torontonians in their twenties have 145 cases per 100,000 people, while those of the same age group making $70,000 to $79,000 a year had 46 cases per 100,000.
It isn't just the risk of infection that increases, either. Hospitalizations also go up among those who make less money.
The report says that per 100,000 people, 8.4% of those in lower-income households had to be hospitalized due to COVID-19, compared to only 2.4% among those who don't.
Toronto Public Health
This is equally true for racialized communities in the GTA.
The city previously released an interactive map revealing cases per neighbourhood, but this new data is even more detailed.
Overall, racialized groups had 231 cases per 100,000 people, while white people had only 50.
The report shows that the group most impacted by COVID-19 have been Latin Americans, followed by Arab, Middle Eastern or West Asian communities.
Toronto Public Health
The rate of infection is also higher for those who live in larger households. Household transmission is known to be a very common way to contract COVID-19.
The rate of reported cases of those who lived in households with five or more people was 203 per 100,000, compared to 141 cases per 100,000 amongst people with four or fewer people in their home.
The data from this study accounts for cases reported in Toronto Public Health up to and including July 16.