In order to assess the burden of COVID-19 infection among women and their children living in shelters, along with the staff working there, the authors collected nasopharyngeal swabs from 11 shelters throughout Ecuador. Out of 411 people tested, 52 were positive, correlating to an attack rate of 12.65%. Males were found to have a higher positivity rate than females, 14.84% and 11.66% respectively, however there was no significant difference in the average viral loads among different sexes or age groups. Although there were outbreaks found at nine out of 11 shelters, there was no significant linear correlation with the occupation rate and the attack rate for the shelter. The findings of this study stresses the importance of widespread testing to further prevent the spread of COVID-19, of closing the gap in who gets tested by making testing accessible and available to disadvantaged members of society.