Regional variation in COVID-19 positive hospitalisation across Scotland during the first wave of the pandemic and its relation to population density: A cross-sectional observation study

Andrew Rideout, Calum Murray and Chris Isles

PLOS ONE, 2021, vol. 16, issue 7, 1-9

Abstract: Background: There have been large regional differences in COVID-19 virus activity across the UK with many commentators suggesting that these are related to age, ethnicity and social class. There has also been a focus on cases, hospitalisations and deaths rather than on hospitalisation rates expressed per 100,000 population. The purpose of our study was to examine regional variation in COVID-19 positive hospitalisation rates in Scotland during the first wave of the pandemic and the possibility that these might be related to population density. Methods and findings: This was a repeated point prevalence study. The number of COVID-19 positive patients hospitalised in the eleven Scottish mainland health boards peaked at 1517 on 19th April, then fell to a low of 243 on 16th August before rising slightly to 262 on 15th September. In July, August and September only four boards had more than 5 hospitalised patients. There was a statistically significant relationship between hospitalisation rates and population density on 97.7% of individual days during the first wave of the pandemic (Pearson’s r 0.62–0.93, with 123 of a possible 174 days having p values

Date: 2021
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:plo:pone00:0253636

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0253636

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