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