Epidemiology of the 2020 pandemic of COVID-19 in the state of Georgia: Inadequate
critical care resources and impact after 7 weeks of community spread
#MMPMID32838368
Moore JX
; Langston ME
; George V
; Coughlin SS
J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open
2020[Aug]; 1
(4
): 527-532
PMID32838368
show ga
OBJECTIVES: Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is a global pandemic currently spreading
rapidly across the United States. We provide a comprehensive look at COVID-19
epidemiology across the state of Georgia, which includes vast rural communities
that may be disproportionately impacted by the spread of this infectious disease.
METHODS: All 159 Georgia counties were included in this study. We examined the
geographic variation of COVID-19 in Georgia from March 3 through April 24, 2020
by extracting data on incidence and mortality from various national and state
datasets. We contrasted county-level mortality rates per 100,000 population (MRs)
by county-level factors. RESULTS: Metropolitan Atlanta had the overall highest
number of confirmed cases; however, the southwestern rural parts of Georgia,
surrounding the city of Albany, had the highest bi-weekly increases in incidence
rate. Among counties with >10 cases, MRs were highest in the rural counties of
Randolph (233.2), Terrell (182.5), Early (136.3), and Dougherty (114.2). Counties
with the highest MRs (22.5-2332 per 100,000) had a higher proportion of:
non-Hispanic Blacks residents, adults aged 60+, adults earning <$20,000 annually,
and residents living in rural communities when compared with counties with lower
MRs. These counties also had a lower proportion of the population with a college
education, lower number of ICU beds per 100,000 population, and lower number of
primary care physicians per 10,000 population. CONCLUSIONS: While urban centers
in Georgia account for the bulk of COVID-19 cases, high mortality rates and low
critical care capacity in rural Georgia are also of critical concern.
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