Cash transfer during the COVID-19 pandemic:a multicentre,randomised controlled trial

Objective To evaluate the effect of a one-time cash transfer of$C1000 in people who are unable to physically distance due to insufficient income.Design Open-label,multi-centre,randomised superiority trial.Setting Seven primary care sites in Ontario,Canada;six urban sites associated with St.Michael’s Hospital in Toronto and one in Manitoulin Island.Participants 392 individuals who reported trouble affording basic necessities due to disruptions related to COVID-19.Intervention After random allocation,participants either received the cash transfer of$C1000(n=196)or physical distancing guidelines alone(n=196).Main outcome measures The primary outcome was the maximum number of symptoms consistent with COVID-19 over 14 days.Secondary outcomes were meeting clinical criteria for COVID-19,SARS-CoV-2 presence,number of close contacts,general health and ability to afford basic necessities.Results The primary outcome of number of symptoms reported by participants did not differ between groups after 2 weeks(cash transfer,mean 1.6 vs 1.9,ratio of means 0.83;95%CI 0.56 to 1.24).There were no statistically significant effects on secondary outcomes of the meeting COVID-19 clinical criteria(7.9%vs 12.8%;risk difference−0.05;95%CI−0.11 to 0.01),SARS-CoV-2 presence(0.5%vs 0.6%;risk difference 0.0095%CI−0.02 to 0.02),mean number of close contacts(3.5 vs 3.7;rate ratio 1.10;95%CI 0.83 to 1.46),general health very good or excellent(60%vs 63%;risk difference−0.0395%CI−0.14 to 0.08)and ability to make ends meet(52%vs 51%;risk difference 0.0195%CI−0.10 to 0.12).Conclusions A single cash transfer did not reduce the COVID-19 symptoms or improve the ability to afford necessities.Further studies are needed to determine whether some groups may benefit from financial supports and to determine if a higher level of support is beneficial.Trial registration number NCT04359264.