tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Health Equity
. 2021 Mar 2;5(1):91-99.
doi: 10.1089/heq.2020.0089. eCollection 2021.
Racial Disparities in the Epidemiology of COVID-19 in Georgia: Trends Since State-Wide Reopening
Grace Porter[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Koosh Desai[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Varghese George[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Steven S Coughlin[SUP] 1 3 [/SUP], Justin Xavier Moore[SUP] 1 3 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Objective: To examine county-level factors associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) incidence and mortality in Georgia, focusing on changes after relaxation of "shelter-in-place" orders on April 24, 2020. Methods: County-level data on confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths were obtained from the Johns Hopkins 2019 Novel Coronavirus Data Repository and linked with county-level data from the 2020 County Health Rankings. We examined associations of county-level factors with mortality and incidence rates (quantiles) using a logistic regression model. This research was conducted in June-July 2020 in Augusta, GA. Results: Counties in the highest quartile for mortality had higher proportions of non-Hispanic (NH)-Black residents (median: 37.4%; interquartile range [IQR]: 29.5-45.0; p<0.01) and residents with incomes less than $20,000 (median: 32.9%; IQR: 26.6-35.0; p<0.01). Counties in the highest quartile for NH-Black residents (38.7-78.0% NH-Black population) showed a 13-fold increase in odds (odds ratio=13.15, 95% confidence interval=1.40-123.80, p=0.05) for increased COVID-19 mortality controlling for income. Conclusions: Although highlighted by the pandemic, racial disparities predated COVID-19, exposing the urgency for diversion of resources to address the systematic residential segregation, educational gaps, and poverty levels experienced disproportionately by Black communities.
Keywords: COVID-19; Georgia; SARS-CoV-2; geographic distribution; novel coronavirus; social determinants.
. 2021 Mar 2;5(1):91-99.
doi: 10.1089/heq.2020.0089. eCollection 2021.
Racial Disparities in the Epidemiology of COVID-19 in Georgia: Trends Since State-Wide Reopening
Grace Porter[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Koosh Desai[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Varghese George[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Steven S Coughlin[SUP] 1 3 [/SUP], Justin Xavier Moore[SUP] 1 3 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 33778312
- PMCID: PMC7990566
- DOI: 10.1089/heq.2020.0089
Abstract
Objective: To examine county-level factors associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) incidence and mortality in Georgia, focusing on changes after relaxation of "shelter-in-place" orders on April 24, 2020. Methods: County-level data on confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths were obtained from the Johns Hopkins 2019 Novel Coronavirus Data Repository and linked with county-level data from the 2020 County Health Rankings. We examined associations of county-level factors with mortality and incidence rates (quantiles) using a logistic regression model. This research was conducted in June-July 2020 in Augusta, GA. Results: Counties in the highest quartile for mortality had higher proportions of non-Hispanic (NH)-Black residents (median: 37.4%; interquartile range [IQR]: 29.5-45.0; p<0.01) and residents with incomes less than $20,000 (median: 32.9%; IQR: 26.6-35.0; p<0.01). Counties in the highest quartile for NH-Black residents (38.7-78.0% NH-Black population) showed a 13-fold increase in odds (odds ratio=13.15, 95% confidence interval=1.40-123.80, p=0.05) for increased COVID-19 mortality controlling for income. Conclusions: Although highlighted by the pandemic, racial disparities predated COVID-19, exposing the urgency for diversion of resources to address the systematic residential segregation, educational gaps, and poverty levels experienced disproportionately by Black communities.
Keywords: COVID-19; Georgia; SARS-CoV-2; geographic distribution; novel coronavirus; social determinants.