A study published Tuesday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal is painting a stark picture of how COVID-19 has impacted Ontario's homeless population. "Individuals recently homeless were over 20 times more likely to be hospitalized for COVID-19, over 10 times more likely to receive intensive care, and they were over five times more likely to die within 21 days of a positive test," said principal author Lucie Richard in an interview with CBC Toronto. The study used records from hospitals from around Ontario to get an accurate province-wide picture of how COVID-19 was impacting people without homes. (Submitted by ICES) To get a bird's eye view of how being homeless was affecting COVID-19 rates, Richard and her fellow researchers used data from hospitals across the province. 'Health and housing are inextricably linked''Housing and income are the primary social determinants of health,' says Dr. Andrew Boozary.

Source: CBC News January 12, 2021 12:00 UTC