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Racial, Ethnic, and Geographic Disparities in Novel Coronavirus (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2) Test Positivity in North Carolina.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Turner, NA; Pan, W; Martinez-Bianchi, VS; Panayotti, GMM; Planey, AM; Woods, CW; Lantos, PM
Published in: Open Forum Infect Dis
January 2021

BACKGROUND: Emerging evidence suggests that black and Hispanic communities in the United States are disproportionately affected by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). A complex interplay of socioeconomic and healthcare disparities likely contribute to disproportionate COVID-19 risk. METHODS: We conducted a geospatial analysis to determine whether individual- and neighborhood-level attributes predict local odds of testing positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We analyzed 29 138 SARS-CoV-2 tests within the 6-county catchment area for Duke University Health System from March to June 2020. We used generalized additive models to analyze the spatial distribution of SARS-CoV-2 positivity. Adjusted models included individual-level age, gender, and race, as well as neighborhood-level Area Deprivation Index, population density, demographic composition, and household size. RESULTS: Our dataset included 27 099 negative and 2039 positive unique SARS-CoV-2 tests. The odds of a positive SARS-CoV-2 test were higher for males (odds ratio [OR], 1.43; 95% credible interval [CI], 1.30-1.58), blacks (OR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.27-1.70), and Hispanics (OR, 4.25; 955 CI, 3.55-5.12). Among neighborhood-level predictors, percentage of black population (OR, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.05-1.25), and percentage Hispanic population (OR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.07-1.41) also influenced the odds of a positive SARS-CoV-2 test. Population density, average household size, and Area Deprivation Index were not associated with SARS-CoV-2 test results after adjusting for race. CONCLUSIONS: The odds of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 were higher for both black and Hispanic individuals, as well as within neighborhoods with a higher proportion of black or Hispanic residents-confirming that black and Hispanic communities are disproportionately affected by SARS-CoV-2.

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Published In

Open Forum Infect Dis

DOI

ISSN

2328-8957

Publication Date

January 2021

Volume

8

Issue

1

Start / End Page

ofaa413

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • 3207 Medical microbiology
  • 3202 Clinical sciences
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Turner, N. A., Pan, W., Martinez-Bianchi, V. S., Panayotti, G. M. M., Planey, A. M., Woods, C. W., & Lantos, P. M. (2021). Racial, Ethnic, and Geographic Disparities in Novel Coronavirus (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2) Test Positivity in North Carolina. Open Forum Infect Dis, 8(1), ofaa413. https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofaa413
Turner, Nicholas A., William Pan, Viviana S. Martinez-Bianchi, Gabriela M Maradiaga Panayotti, Arrianna M. Planey, Christopher W. Woods, and Paul M. Lantos. “Racial, Ethnic, and Geographic Disparities in Novel Coronavirus (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2) Test Positivity in North Carolina.Open Forum Infect Dis 8, no. 1 (January 2021): ofaa413. https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofaa413.
Turner NA, Pan W, Martinez-Bianchi VS, Panayotti GMM, Planey AM, Woods CW, et al. Racial, Ethnic, and Geographic Disparities in Novel Coronavirus (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2) Test Positivity in North Carolina. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2021 Jan;8(1):ofaa413.
Turner, Nicholas A., et al. “Racial, Ethnic, and Geographic Disparities in Novel Coronavirus (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2) Test Positivity in North Carolina.Open Forum Infect Dis, vol. 8, no. 1, Jan. 2021, p. ofaa413. Pubmed, doi:10.1093/ofid/ofaa413.
Turner NA, Pan W, Martinez-Bianchi VS, Panayotti GMM, Planey AM, Woods CW, Lantos PM. Racial, Ethnic, and Geographic Disparities in Novel Coronavirus (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2) Test Positivity in North Carolina. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2021 Jan;8(1):ofaa413.
Journal cover image

Published In

Open Forum Infect Dis

DOI

ISSN

2328-8957

Publication Date

January 2021

Volume

8

Issue

1

Start / End Page

ofaa413

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • 3207 Medical microbiology
  • 3202 Clinical sciences