Spatial Variability in COVID-19 Mortality

COVID-19 emerged as a global pandemic in the spring of 2020. Since that time, the disease has resulted in approximately 150 million cases and 3 million deaths worldwide. However, there is significant spatial variation in the rate of mortality from COVID-19. Here, we briefly explore spatial variations in COVID-19 mortality by country groupings and propose possible explanations for the differences observed. Specifically, we find that there is a statistically significant difference in COVID-19 mortality between countries grouped into categories based on (1) developed, primarily western diets and healthcare systems; (2) "Scandinavian" countries with advanced healthcare systems and generally anti-inflammatory diets, and (3) developing countries. We do not infer causality but believe that the observed associations provide hypotheses for future research investigations. Moreover, our results add further evidence to support additional exploration of vitamin D exposure/status and COVID-19 mortality.