Spatial Exploration of Social Vulnerability and COVID-19-Related Health Outcomes in Mississippi

highlights:

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Mississippi (MS) is one of the hardest-hit states with a high cumulative COVID-19 incidence and mortality compared to the US national average.

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Educational and economic disadvantages likely resulted in the poor health outcomes of Mississippi Delta residents.

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Significant spatial autocorrelation was found in COVID-19 incidence, mortality, and overall CDC SVI rankings.

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Subtheme 1, representing socio-economic status, was significantly associated with mortality.

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Subtheme 2, household composition and disability, was significantly associated with both incidence and mortality.

abstract:

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused more than 48 million cases and 800,000 deaths in the United States. Mississippi (MS) is one of the hardest-hit states with a high incidence and mortality compared to the US national average. This paper explores the relationship of MS county-level COVID-19- related incidence and mortality (through December 2, 2021) with the Center for Disease Control’s Social Vulnerability Index (CDC SVI). The CDC SVI consists of four major subthemes: [1] socio-economic status, [2] household composition and disability, [3] minority status and language, and finally, [4] housing type and transportation. We found that the overall SVI ranking has a statistically significant association with reported COVID-19 cumulative mortality at the county level. Among the SVI sub-themes, subtheme 1 (socio-economic status) and subtheme 2 (household composition and disability) showed a significant relationship with incidence and mortality (p < 0.05). The results of our analysis will assist in understanding the spatial relationship between CDC SVI themes and the health effects of COVID-19 in MS and the surrounding areas.