Two in five homeless people in Paris hit by Covid-19

Coronavirus tears through French capital's migrant hostels

Two in five homeless people have had coronavirus. AFP

Two fifths of homeless people in Paris have been infected with coronavirus, researchers have found.

Researchers said the disease was “hitting the disadvantaged hard” after they found up to 40 per cent of 818 people in the study had caught Covid-19.

They were polled at 14 Medecins Sans Frontieres centres – two food distribution sites, two migrant worker hostels and 10 emergency shelters – in Paris between June 23 and July 2.

In the hostels, between 82 and 94 per cent of those polled had the virus.

In the emergency centres, the figure was between 23 and 62 per cent.

And at one of the food distribution centres, 35 per cent tested positive, compared with 18 per cent at the other.

About 12 per cent of the total population is believed to have had the virus in Paris after lockdown ended on May 11, Public Health France says.

Researchers from French medical institute Epicentre believe packed living and sleeping arrangements are a major factor behind the positive test rate among the homeless.

“Our figures show there were 4.3 times more Covid-19 cases among people sharing a room with more than five people, than among those with a room to themselves,” epidemiologist Thomas Roederer told France 24.

“There were 3.1 times more cases among those who share a bathroom with more than five people than among those who have their own bathroom.”

By far most of those who took part in the study said they generally followed social distancing guidelines, but they acknowledged that doing so was difficult.

An election committee member holds a ballot box for a man to vote in regional and senate elections at a drive-in polling station in Prague, Czech Republic. AP Photo

People wearing protective face masks on a bus in Moscow, Russia. EPA

Military Emergencies Unit members carry out disinfection procedures at a temporary coronavirus disease Covid-19 testing site in Madrid, Spain. Bloomberg

Restaurant owners clang spoons and dishes at a demonstration against restaurant closures in Marseille, southern France. AP Photo

Protestors toss plates at a demonstration against restaurant and bar closures in Marseille, southern France. AP Photo

A woman walks past a shuttered shop front in Middlesbrough. Getty Images

Spectators wearing face masks watch the Swiss National League ice hockey match between Lausanne HC and SCL Tigers in Lausanne. AFP

A woman with face mask crosses the rails near a subway station in Frankfurt, Germany. AP Photo

A traveler carries their luggage through Adolfo Suarez-Madrid Barajas international airport in Spain. EPA

Local authorities in the Italian capital Rome have ordered face coverings to be worn at all times out of doors. Reuters

A waiter carrying a tray in Rome. Reuters

“We said from the outset of the pandemic that it’s impossible to completely follow protective measures in places where homeless people live,” said Corrine Torre, head of mission for MSF France.