Spatial analysis of COVID-19 clusters and contextual factors in New York City.

Jack Cordes, Marcia C Castro
Author Information
  1. Jack Cordes: Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston 02115, MA, USA. Electronic address: jcordes@g.harvard.edu.
  2. Marcia C Castro: Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston 02115, MA, USA. Electronic address: mcastro@hsph.harvard.edu.

Abstract

Identifying areas with low access to testing and high case burden is necessary to understand risk and allocate resources in the COVID-19 pandemic. Using zip code level data for New York City, we analyzed testing rates, positivity rates, and proportion positive. A spatial scan statistic identified clusters of high and low testing rates, high positivity rates, and high proportion positive. Boxplots and Pearson correlations determined associations between outcomes, clusters, and contextual factors. Clusters with less testing and low proportion positive tests had higher income, education, and white population, whereas clusters with high testing rates and high proportion positive tests were disproportionately black and without health insurance. Correlations showed inverse associations of white race, education, and income with proportion positive tests, and positive associations with black race, Hispanic ethnicity, and poverty. We recommend testing and health care resources be directed to eastern Brooklyn, which has low testing and high proportion positives.

Keywords

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MeSH Term

Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
COVID-19
COVID-19 Testing
Clinical Laboratory Techniques
Cluster Analysis
Communicable Diseases, Emerging
Coronavirus Infections
Disease Outbreaks
Female
Health Status Disparities
Healthcare Disparities
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
New York City
Pandemics
Pneumonia, Viral
Risk Assessment
Spatial Analysis
Urban Health
Urban Population

Word Cloud

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