Risk factors for increased COVID-19 case-fatality in the United States: A county-level analysis during the first wave

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is causing significant morbidity and mortality across the US. In this ecological study, we identified county-level variables associated with the COVID-19 case-fatality rate (CFR) using publicly available datasets and a negative binomial generalized linear model. Variabl...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2021-10, Vol.16 (10), p.e0258308-e0258308
Main Authors: Millar, Jess A, Dao, Hanh Dung N, Stefopulos, Marianne E, Estevam, Camila G, Fagan-Garcia, Katharine, Taft, Diana H, Park, Christopher, Alruwaily, Amaal, Desai, Angel N, Majumder, Maimuna S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Asthma
Biology and Life Sciences
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
Ecological effects
Ecological studies
Fatalities
Health care
Health risks
Hospitals
Medicine and Health Sciences
Minority & ethnic groups
Mobile homes
Morbidity
Mortality
Pandemics
People and places
Public health
Risk analysis
Risk factors
Social Sciences
Statistical models
United States
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is causing significant morbidity and mortality across the US. In this ecological study, we identified county-level variables associated with the COVID-19 case-fatality rate (CFR) using publicly available datasets and a negative binomial generalized linear model. Variables associated with decreased CFR included a greater number of hospitals per 10,000 people, banning religious gatherings, a higher percentage of people living in mobile homes, and a higher percentage of uninsured people. Variables associated with increased CFR included a higher percentage of the population over age 65, a higher percentage of Black or African Americans, a higher asthma prevalence, and a greater number of hospitals in a county. By identifying factors that are associated with COVID-19 CFR in US counties, we hope to help officials target public health interventions and healthcare resources to locations that are at increased risk of COVID-19 fatalities.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0258308