Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has raised concerns about its disproportionate impact on individuals and communities facing disadvantage. This study aims to examine whether there is a disproportionate impact on immigrant patients with COVID-19 in Iran and to present their characteristics.
Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed data from 589,146 patients who were diagnosed with COVID-19 in Iran. Descriptive analyses were conducted to summarize the study population’s characteristics. Chi-squared test and logistic regression were used to examine the association between immigrant status and COVID-19 outcomes.
Results: After adjusting for potential confounding factors, the study found that being an immigrant was significantly associated with an increased risk of death due to COVID-19 (OR 1.64, CI 1.568-1.727). Immigrant patients were more likely to present with low blood oxygen levels upon admission compared to Iranian-born patients (53.9% versus 47.7%, P value < 0.001). A higher proportion of immigrant patients diagnosed with COVID-19 were admitted to an intensive care unit (17% versus 15.8%, P value < 0.001). The study also found a significant difference in the age profiles of patients, with children under the age of eighteen accounting for 16% of immigrant patients versus 6.6% of Iranian-born patients (P value < 0.001). While both groups had a higher prevalence of COVID-19 cases among men than women, the gender bias was more pronounced for immigrant patients (P value < 0.001).
Conclusion: The study suggests that immigrant patients with COVID-19 in Iran experienced more severe health outcomes than their Iranian-born counterparts.