COVID-19 deaths more likely among immigrants, says report

During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, some 25 per cent of the total death count because of the virus were attributed to immigrants.

This is the case even though immigrants made up only 22 per cent of the total Canadian population, according to Statistics Canada (StatCan), providing a relative burden ratio of 1.1 among the said group.

This data suggests a crude mortality rate of 26 and 22 per 100,000 people for immigrants and non-immigrants, respectively, according to the report.

In May, a group of migrants questioned the safety of migrant workers while in quarantine as at least five migrant farmworkers had died since March this year.

Provinces

In the early months of the pandemic, 95 per cent of COVID-19 deaths were concentrated in Quebec and Ontario (67 per cent and 28 per cent, respectively), and less in British Columbia (three per cent).

Among immigrants, close to half of COVID-19 deaths were reported in Quebec (48 per cent) and Ontario (45 per cent), and four per cent in B.C. In comparison, among non-immigrants, the proportions were 73 per cent, 22 per cent and two per cent, respectively.

However, immigrants made up about 14 per cent of Quebec’s population, and 18 per cent of COVID-19 deaths in the province, yielding a relative death burden ratio of 1.3.

In Ontario, immigrants comprised 29 per cent of Ontarians and accounted for 40 per cent of COVID-19 deaths, for a 1.4 death burden ratio. In B.C., the relative death burden ratio was the highest, at 1.5, with immigrants comprising 28 per cent of the population and accounting for 41 per cent of COVID-19 deaths in the province.

“COVID-19 has had a disproportionately high impact among certain population subgroups,” said StatCan. “These findings can help inform targeted public health efforts to minimize COVID-19 deaths among immigrants.”

Migrant farm workers who come to Ontario from other countries are at higher risk of contracting COVID-19 and other diseases. This is due to their communal living and working conditions, according to a previous report.

COVID-19 death among immigrants was most common among those who came to Canada from 1960 to 1979 (nearly 35 per cent), followed by those who came in from 1980 to 1999 (30 per cent) and from 1952 to 1959 (28 per cent). Those who entered the country between 2000 and 2018 accounted for the fewest COVID deaths among immigrants (around nine per cent).

COVID deaths were most common among those under the family reunification immigrant category (nearly 55 per cent).