ERGSS’ Yonkman published in Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health

Joel Yonkman is a co-author of the article titled “The Implementation of CDC COVID-19 Recommendations for Testing, Isolation, Quarantine and Movement at Emergency Intake Sites of Unaccompanied Children in the United States, April 1–May 31, 2021,” published in Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health. The Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health is a bimonthly peer-reviewed medical journal covering research on immigrant health and the health of minority groups.

Summary

In March 2021, a surge of Unaccompanied Children (UC) at the U.S.-Mexico border led to the establishment of Emergency Intake Sites (EIS) to address shelter capacity challenges. To mitigate COVID-19 transmission within these facilities, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) introduced a COVID-19 Zone Plan (ZP), a five-zone strategy incorporating a 7-day testing algorithm. An analysis of 11 EIS from April 1 to May 31, 2021, revealed that 54% implemented the ZP. The overall COVID-19 positivity rate across all EIS was 2.47%. Facilities implementing the ZP reported a lower positivity rate of 1.83%, compared to 2.83% in non-implementing sites. Additionally, smaller facilities with fewer than 500 beds experienced lower positivity rates (1.16%) than larger ones with over 1,500 beds (2.81%). These findings suggest that implementing the ZP, along with considerations for venue type and bed capacity, may effectively reduce COVID-19 transmission in such settings.