Retrospective Spatial Analysis of the COVID-19 Threat to the High-risk Population in Davao Region, Philippines from March 2020 to August 2021

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the elderly and people with comorbidities are most vulnerable to COVID-19 infection. With this, the challenges and threats posed to the vulnerable population require targeted interventions. While public health surveillance methods had developed recent advances to meet users’ information needs, the volume and complexity of infectious disease data had increased, resulting in increasing difficulty to facilitate risk communication with the public and for decision-makers to make informed measures to protect the public’s health. Moreover, the implementation of COVID-19 spatiotemporal disease surveillance strategies specifically targeting the vulnerable population in the Davao Region had been previously unexplored. This paper investigated the COVID-19 incidence in the Davao Region from 03 Mar 2020, the earliest recorded date of onset, to 31 Aug 2021 using geospatial tools. The variables were visualized through choropleth maps and graduated symbols, and subsequently examined through spatial autocorrelation and hotspot analysis. Hotspots across the region were observed to be in high-density areas. These areas pose greater risks of infection due to the presence of a high concentration of cases. However, high case fatality rates were found in far-flung municipalities where access to COVID-19 healthcare facilities is a dilemma. In the COVID-19 setting and future disease outbreaks similar to COVID-19, results from this study may provide insights to government offices and other related agencies to improve healthcare systems and programs such as providing and initiating tailor-fitted isolation and consultation mechanisms appropriate to the vulnerable population in a community.