Mapping High-Risk Areas for COVID-19

HealthLandscape has developed a set of online mapping tools (Mapping High Risk Areas for COVID-19) to help states and metropolitan areas identify high risk populations for severe illness from COVID-19. The tools are based on the number of COVID-19 cases by county and factors that may increase the risk of severe illness from COVID-19¹, including the following: 

•          Ages 65 and older,
•          Reside in nursing homes or long-term care facilities,
•          Chronic lung disease or asthma,
•          Heart conditions,
•          Immunocompromised, which include undergoing cancer treatment or smokers,
•          Severe obesity,
•          Diabetes, and 
•          Chronic Kidney Disease.

In addition to other populations at risk such as people with disabilities, people experiencing homelessness, and pregnant women, research shows that racial/ethnic minorities are more adversely affected.² 

Mapping High Risk Areas for COVID-19 features a county-level mapping tool that allows users to layer risk factors such as diabetes and asthma with demographic and race and ethnicity data to identify high risk counties. Users can also explore relationships between risk factors, the number of COVID-19 cases, and social determinants of health. A similar tool maps COVID-19 risk factors at the ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) level for metropolitan areas, allowing for smaller area analysis and targeting of high-risk populations.

Mapping High Risk Areas for COVID-19 also allows users to create a COVID-19 Patient Profile by uploading ZIP code level counts of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, or deaths. The Profile tool will create a service area map of the user’s COVID-19 population, while linking the ZIP codes to dozens of health and social determinants of health measures. Users can then explore the community characteristics of areas being hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition to the mapping resources described above, users can map the locations of hospitals, nursing homes, and other health care resources and, if available, can upload other sources of relevant data (such as testing locations). This allows users to explore the relationship between areas hardest hit by COVID-19, areas that are potentially most at risk for severe illness from COVID-19, and the location of resources to combat the virus.

For more information on using Mapping High Risk Areas for COVID-19, please register for one our webinars at https://www.healthlandscape.org/webinar-training.cfm.  

Current webinar schedule (all times Eastern):

• COVID-19: Linking COVID-19 Data to Social Determinants of Health in Your Community using HealthLandscape
• Thursday, 5/14/2020, 2:00 PM
• Tuesday, 5/19/2020, 2:00 PM
• Wednesday, 6/3/2020, 2:00 PM
• COVID-19: Mapping High-Risk Areas in Your Community using HealthLandscape
• Thursday, 5/14/2020, 1:00 PM
• Tuesday, 5/19/2020, 1:00 PM
• Wednesday, 6/3/2020, 1:00 PM

1. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-at-higher-risk.html
2. https://www.commonwealthfund.org/blog/2020/covid-19-more-prevalent-deadlier-us-counties-higher-black-populations