Impact of Social Vulnerability on COVID-19 Incidence and Outcomes in the United States

ImportancePrior pandemics have disparately affected socially vulnerable communities. Whether regional variations in social vulnerability to disasters influence COVID-19 outcomes and incidence in the U.S. is unknown. ObjectiveTo examine the association of Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), a percentile-based measure of county-level social vulnerability to disasters, and its sub-components (socioeconomic status, household composition, minority status, and housing type/transportation accessibility) with the case fatality rate (CFR) and incidence of COVID-19. DesignEcological study of counties with at least 50 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of April 4th, 2020. Generalized linear mixed-effects models with state-level clustering were applied to estimate county-level associations of overall SVI and its sub-component scores with COVID-19 CFR (deaths/100 cases) and incidence (cases/1000 population), adjusting for population percentage aged [&ge;]65 years, and for comorbidities using the average Hierarchical Condition Category (HCC) score. Counties with high SVI ([&ge;]median) and high CFR ([&ge;]median) were identified. SettingPopulation-based study of U.S. county-level data. ParticipantsU.S. counties with at least 50 confirmed COVID-19 cases. Main outcomes and measuresCOVID-19 CFR and incidence. ResultsData from 433 counties including 283,256 cases and 6,644 deaths were analyzed. Median SVI was 0.46 [Range: 0.01-1.00], and median CFR and incidence were 1.9% [Range: 0-13.3] and 1.2 per 1000 people [Range: 0.6-38.8], respectively. Higher SVI, indicative of greater social vulnerability, was associated with higher CFR (RR: 1.19 [1.05, 1.34], p=0.005, per-1 unit increase), an association that strengthened after adjustment for age[&ge;]65 years and comorbidities (RR: 1.63 [1.38, 1.91], p<0.001), and was further confirmed in a sensitivity analysis limited to six states with the highest testing levels. Although the association between overall SVI and COVID-19 incidence was not significant, the SVI sub-components of socioeconomic status and minority status were both predictors of higher incidence and CFR. A combination of high SVI ([&ge;]0.46) and high adjusted CFR ([&ge;]2.3%) was observed in 28.9% of counties. Conclusions and RelevanceSocial vulnerability is associated with higher COVID-19 case fatality. High social vulnerability and CFR coexist in more than 1 in 4 U.S. counties. These counties should be targeted by public policy interventions to help alleviate the pandemic burden on the most vulnerable population. KEY POINTSO_ST_ABSQuestionC_ST_ABSIs county-level social vulnerability to disasters associated with the case fatality rate (CFR) and incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection during the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S.? FindingsEach unit increase in county-level social vulnerability, measured using the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), was associated with a 63% higher CFR after adjusting for age and comorbidities. Both CFR and incidence of COVID-19 were significantly higher in counties with lower socio-economic status and higher proportion of minority populations. MeaningU.S. counties with higher social vulnerability are experiencing greater mortality rates during the COVID-19 pandemic.