Social and physical environment disparities contribute to mortality outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States

Jasmine Mah, Aparna Kulkarni, Rebecca Forman and Elias Mossialos

LSE Research Online Documents on Economics from London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library

Abstract: Demographic patterns suggest that fatalities from Covid-19 are disproportionately high in Black and Hispanic communities in the United States. This short commentary postulates that disparities in social & economic status and physical environment, with their resultant inequities, may also be contributing to high fatality rates. The top ten counties in the United States with the highest COVID-19 fatalities (as of May 16, 2020) from the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus resource center were compared to county-level population density, racial demographics, socioeconomic status and physical environment factors. We conclude by recommending a multi-pronged response approach with coordination between health systems and local governments using county-level data to identify social disparity ‘hotspots’ where extra resources can be allocated and targeted interventions can be implemented.

Keywords: COVID-19; social determinants of health; socioeconomic status; physical environment; vulnerable populations (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D60 I10 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 5 pages
Date: 2021-04-12
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Published in Journal of Health Policy and Economics, 12, April, 2021, 1(1). ISSN: 2732-4729

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ehl:lserod:120026

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