COVID-19 among the Pakistani immigrant population in Northern Europe

Low-skilled labour migrants in crowded living conditions have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Reports from Norway show that migrants and ethnic minorities, especially from Pakistan and Somalia, have been more affected by the virus than the average population, with higher rates on infection, hospitalisation and death. A year into the pandemic, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health has released infection rates for different parts of the Norwegian population.. The data show that socio-economic conditions might not be the cause for the high infection rate of COVID-19 in the migrant population in Norway.

Aim: 

Research concerning COVID-19 among immigrants is still limited. We therefore aim to investigate the incidence of COVID-19 within the Pakistani migrant community and their perceptions of the pandemic by combining existing register data and data from interviews with key informants from the Pakistani community living in Norway and by that find possible causes for the increased infection rate.