Table 1.
Characteristics of the included studies
| Citation | Location, Period | Study design | Population (Subgroups) | Sample size | Outcome | Effect measures | Study quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Guijarro C., October 2020 [25] |
Spain February 1 – April 25, 2020 |
Population-based cohort study | Migrants | 152,018 | Cumulative incidence of RT-PCRb confirmed COVID-19 | Cumulative incidence, Relative Risk | High |
| Jaqueti Aroca J., May 2020 [26] |
Spain Up to the 2nd week of April 2020 |
Cross-sectional | Migrants | 1781 | Positive SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCRb | Positivity Rates | Medium |
| Amengual-Moreno M., September 2020 [27] |
Spain Until May 14, 2020 |
Observational retrospective ecological study | Migrants | – | Correlation of the cumulative incidence confirmed by PCRb with percentage of immigration of the neighbourhood | r (Pearson linear correlation coefficient) | High |
| Burton-Jeangros C., December 2020 [28] |
Switzerland April – May 2020 |
Cross-sectional mixed-methods study | Migrants | 379 | Referred COVID-19 infection in a questionnaire | Prevalence of reported infection | Medium |
| Lundkvist A., August 2020 [29] |
Sweden June 17–18, 2020 |
Cross-sectional study | Non-Swedish individuals | 213 | Positive tests for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies | Prevalence | Medium |
| The Reggio Emilia COVID-19 Working Group, August 2020 [30] |
Italy March 6 – March 26, 2020 |
Prevalence study | Migrants | 2635 | Positive SARS-CoV-2 PCRb | Prevalence, Odds Ratio | High |
| Woolford S.J., July 2020 [32] |
UK March 16 – June 1, 2020 |
Prevalence study | BAMEa | 502,640 | Positive SARS-CoV-2 PCRb | Prevalence | Medium |
| Raisi-Estabragh Z., August 2020 [33] |
UK March 16 – May 18, 2020 |
Prospective cohort study | BAMEa | 4510 | COVID-19 positive test | Incidence Rates | High |
| Kolin D.A., November 2020 [36] |
UK From March 16, 2020 |
Prospective cohort study | BAMEa | 397,064 | Positive SARS-CoV-2 PCRb | Relative Risk, Odds ratio | High |
| Niedzwiedz C.L., May 2020 [37] |
UK March 16 – May 3, 2020 |
Prospective cohort study | Ethnic minorities | 2658 | Positive SARS-CoV-2 microbiological tests | Relative Risk | High |
| Chadeau-Hyam M., October 2020 [38] |
UK March 16 – May 18, 2020 |
Prospective cohort study | Ethnic minorities | 488,083 | Positive SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCRb | Odds Ratio | High |
| Razieh C., October 2020 [39] |
UK March 16 – June 14, 2020 |
Prevalence study | BAMEa | 5623 | Interaction between ethnicity and obesity on the risk of COVID-19 positive laboratory test | Prevalence, Odds Ratio stratified by Body Mass Index | Medium |
| Kakkar N., May 2020 [40] |
UK March 1 – April 25, 2020 |
Cross-sectional study | BAMEa | 3018 | Positive COVID-19 tests | Prevalence | Low |
| de Lusignan S., May 2020 [41] |
UK January 28 – April 4, 2020 |
Cross-sectional study | Ethnic minorities | 3802 | Positive SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCRb | Odds Ratio | High |
| Hull A.S., October 2020 [42] |
UK January 1 – April 30, 2020 |
Cross-sectional study | Ethnic minorities | 1,257,137 | The diagnosis of suspected COVID-19 based on contact history and symptoms given by patients | Prevalence, Odds Ratio | High |
| Nguyen L.H., July 2020 [43] |
UK, USA March – April, 2020 |
Prospective cohort study | Ethnic minorities (General population; Frontline healthcare workers) |
2,035,395 99,795 |
Report of a positive COVID-19 test through an app | Hazard Ratio | High |
| Martin C.A., July 2020 [44] |
UK March 1 – April 28, 2020 |
Retrospective cohort study | Ethnic minorities | 4051 | Positive SARS-CoV-2 PCRb before/after lockdown | Positivity Rates, Odds Ratio | High |
| Platt L., June 2020 [46] |
UK Up to May 2020 |
Ecological study | Ethnic minorities | – | Predicted number of lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases per 100,000 of group population | Incidence rates | Medium |
| Birenbaum-Carmeli D., September 2020 [47] |
Israel February 23 – June 2, 2020 |
Cross-sectional study | Ethnic minorities | – | Number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in each community | Morbidity rates | High |
| Shields A., September 2020 [48] |
UK April 24–25, 2020 |
Cross-sectional study | BAMEa (Healthcare workers) | 516 | Positive tests for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies | Prevalence, Odds Ratio | High |
| Martin C.A., November 2020 [49] |
UK May 2020 |
Cross-sectional study | Ethnic minorities (Hospital staff members) | 10,662 | Positive tests for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies | Prevalence, Odds Ratio | High |
| Razvi S., November 2020 [50] |
UK May 28 – June 8, 2020 |
Cross-sectional study | BAMEa (Healthcare workers) | 2100 | Positive tests for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies | Prevalence, Odds ratio | High |
| Leeds J.S., August 2020 [51] |
UK April 1–28, 2020 |
Cohort study | BAMEa (Healthcare workers) | 991 | Positive SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCRb | Incidence Rates, Odds Ratio | High |
| Knight M., June 2020 [52] |
UK March 1 – April 14, 2020 |
Prospective population-based cohort study | Ethnic minorities (Pregnant women) | 427 | Cumulative incidence of PCRb confirmed COVID-19 | Incidence Rates, Rate Ratio | Medium |
| Elias M., October 2020 [53] |
France March 1 – April 30, 2020 |
Prospective cohort study | Ethnic minorities (Kidney recipients) | 1216 | Positive SARS-CoV-2 PCRb | Odds Ratio | High |
a BAME: Black, Asian and Minority Ethnicity
b PCR: Polymerase Chain Reaction; RT-PCR: Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction