Conclusions
Public health professionals, healthcare providers, and populations in areas to which coccidioidomycosis is endemic should be aware of the overlap in risk factors for coccidioidomycosis and COVID-19. Because prompt diagnosis is critical for effective management of coccidioidomycosis and the COVID-19 pandemic might exacerbate existing delays, healthcare professionals should know how to identify these diseases and potential co-infection. Agricultural and construction workers, firefighters, Black and Latino persons, persons with diabetes, elderly persons, incarcerated persons, and migrant or undocumented farmworkers might be at increased risk for coccidioidomycosis and COVID-19. Employers and public health officials should mitigate exposure to dust and SARS-CoV-2 by promoting the use of face masks and social distancing practices.
This research was supported in part by the National Science Foundation (grant no. 2032210), the National Institutes of Health (grant nos. R01AI125842 and R01AI148336), and the University of California Multicampus Research Programs and Initiatives (award no. 17–446315).
Emerging Infectious Diseases. 2021;27(5):1266-1273. © 2021 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
