Resources availability and COVID-19 mortality among US counties.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Health Services Research

Background:

• COVID-19 pandemic has caused millions of deaths globally, with the US experiencing high mortality.
• County-level factors, including resource availability, influence COVID-19 death risk.
• Previous studies identified individual and county-level risk factors for COVID-19 mortality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the relationship between county-level resources and COVID-19 mortality in the US.
• To investigate the impact of hospital staffing, capacity, and macroeconomic factors on COVID-19 deaths.
• To control for demographic and disease prevalence variables in the analysis.

Main Methods:

• Utilized 2019 data from AHA, AHRF, and USA FACTS for 2,438 US counties.
• Employed negative binomial regression to analyze COVID-19-related deaths (dependent variable).
• Included independent variables: hospital staffing, hospital capacity, per capita income, urban/rural location, controlling for age, race, and case rates.

Main Results:

• Increased hospital staffing (FTE RNs, hospitalists, intensivists) per 10,000 population was associated with lower COVID-19 mortality.
• Higher hospital occupancy rates, proportion of teaching hospitals, and airborne infection control rooms correlated with increased deaths.
• Higher per capita income, urban location, proportion of elderly, racial/ethnic minorities, and higher case rates were linked to increased COVID-19 deaths.

Conclusions:

• Maintaining adequate hospital staffing levels is crucial for mitigating COVID-19 mortality.
• County-level resources, including staffing and capacity, significantly influence pandemic outcomes.
• Socioeconomic and demographic factors also play a role in COVID-19 mortality rates.