Understanding the excess COVID-19 burden among immigrants in Norway

BACKGROUND: We aim to use intermarriage as a measure to disentangle the role of exposure to virus, susceptibility and care in differences in burden of COVID-19, by comparing rates of COVID-19 infections between immigrants married to a native and to another immigrant. METHODS: Using data from the Norwegian emergency preparedness, register participants (N=2 312 836) were linked with their registered partner and categorized based on own and partner’s country of birth. From logistic regressions, odds ratios (OR) of COVID-19 infection (15 June 2020–01 June 2021) and related hospitalization were calculated adjusted for age, sex, municipality, medical risk, occupation, household income, education and crowded housing. RESULTS: Immigrants were at increased risk of COVID-19 and related hospitalization regardless of their partners being immigrant or not, but immigrants married to a Norwegian-born had lower risk than other immigrants. Compared with intramarried Norwegian-born, odds of COVID-19 infection was higher among persons in couples with one Norwegian-born and one immigrant from Europe/USA/Canada/Oceania (OR 1.42–1.46) or Africa/Asia/Latin-America (OR 1.91–2.01). Odds of infection among intramarried immigrants from Africa/Asia/Latin-America was 4.92. For hospitalization, the corresponding odds were slightly higher. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that the excess burden of COVID-19 among immigrants is explained by differences in exposure and care rather than susceptibility.