Monitoring of the spread of COVID-19 among vulnerable groups, focusing on individuals with mental illness, alcohol and drug abuse as well as homeless people

Individuals suffering from severe mental illness, alcohol and drug abuse as well as homeless people have a high risk of infection and face a severe course of illness, as they tend to have existing somatic diseases and it can be difficult for them to follow the official guidelines for protection against infection, hygiene and social distancing. Many of them tend to gather in large groups, e.g. in shelters, group homes, care homes and psychiatric wards, which may potentially become infection epicentres. The project will map and monitor the development of the spread of COVID-19 among homeless people and people with mental illness, alcohol and drug addiction. We will compare data from Statens Serum Institut (SSI), which provide information on the spread of infection, with register-based data on mental illness and accommodation in psychiatric group homes and shelters as a measure of homelessness.