“I prefer to get coronavirus than to stop working”: the street vendor’s perspective

Authors

  • Josuel Delgado-Enciso Department of Research, Foundation for Cancer Ethics, Education and Research of the Cancerology State Institute, Colima, Mexico
  • Marina Delgado-Machuca Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Colima, Colima, Mexico
  • Karen A Mokay-Ramírez Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Colima, Colima, Mexico
  • Carlos E Barajas-Saucedo Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Colima, Colima, Mexico
  • Jessica C Romero-Michel Faculty of Law, University of Colima, Colima, Mexico
  • Mercedes Fuentes-Murguia Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Colima, Colima, Mexico
  • Nomely S Aurelien-Cabezas Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Colima, Colima, Mexico
  • Daniel Tiburcio-Jimenez Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Colima, Colima, Mexico
  • Jose A Toscano-Velazquez Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Colima, Colima, Mexico
  • Carmen Meza-Robles Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Colima, Colima, Mexico
  • Alejandra E Hernandez-Rangel Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Colima, Colima, Mexico
  • Mireya Walle-Guillen Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Colima, Colima, Mexico
  • Osiris G Delgado-Enciso Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Colima, Colima, Mexico
  • Jose Guzman Esquivel Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Colima, Colima, Mexico
  • Fabian Rojas-Larios Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Colima, Colima, Mexico
  • Sergio A Zaizar-Fregoso Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Colima, Colima, Mexico
  • Margarita L Martinez-Fierro Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Academic Unit of Human Medicine and Health Sciences, Autonomous University of Zacatecas, Zacatecas, Mexico
  • Iram P Rodriguez Sanchez Molecular and Structural Physiology Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, Autonomous University of Nuevo León, Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico
  • Valery Melnikov Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Colima, Colima, Mexico
  • Francisco Espinoza-Gomez Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Colima, Colima, Mexico
  • Ivan Delgado-Enciso Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Colima, Colima, Mexico

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3855/jidc.13276

Keywords:

COVID-19, coronavirus, viral spread, informal workers

Abstract

During phase 2 of the COVID-19 pandemic in a Mexican City, informal street vendors (cases) and formal employees (controls) were interviewed. A total of 82.6% of street vendors preferred to expose themselves to the coronavirus than to stop working, compared with 18.4% of formal employees (adjusted OR = 19.4, 95%CI: 4.6-81.7, p < 0.001). Street vendors had 7 times less fear of dying from coronavirus (adjusted OR = 0.14, 95% CI: 0.03-0.5, p = 0.005) and showed a 16-times greater lack of real concern for the increase in cases in their community than the formal employees (adjusted OR = 0.06, 95% CI: 0.01-0.3, p = 0.002). Street vendors were the group with the poorest adherence to household and work area containment measures that continued to be in contact with others. The corresponding authorities must plan specific strategies that allow street vendors to survive economically, while at the same time, protecting community health.

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Published

2021-11-30

How to Cite

1.
Delgado-Enciso J, Delgado-Machuca M, Mokay-Ramírez KA, Barajas-Saucedo CE, Romero-Michel JC, Fuentes-Murguia M, Aurelien-Cabezas NS, Tiburcio-Jimenez D, Toscano-Velazquez JA, Meza-Robles C, Hernandez-Rangel AE, Walle-Guillen M, Delgado-Enciso OG, Guzman Esquivel J, Rojas-Larios F, Zaizar-Fregoso SA, Martinez-Fierro ML, Rodriguez Sanchez IP, Melnikov V, Espinoza-Gomez F, Delgado-Enciso I (2021) “I prefer to get coronavirus than to stop working”: the street vendor’s perspective. J Infect Dev Ctries 15:1603–1606. doi: 10.3855/jidc.13276

Issue

Section

Coronavirus Pandemic