Rowan McCormick,

Sponsor or Client: 

Title:

Demographic health disparity analysis of COVID-19 testing data

Abstract:

Over the past six months, more than 23,000 people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in Coconino County, Arizona. This region additionally has a relatively high rate of infection, at about 15,000 cases per 100,000 individuals (~15%) averaged across six months. Throughout this pandemic the relationship between various socio-demographic factors and COVID-19 case counts have not been well defined. This is especially true for children, who, despite having significantly lower representation in county vaccination coverage and testing for COVID-19, are likely to have higher rates of COVID-19 infection.
Many factors affect a person’s susceptibility to contracting COVID-19, such as socioeconomic status and access to healthcare. In this analysis, some of these factors (including age, gender, ethnicity) were examined in order to determine whether or not there was a statistically significant correlation between said factor and a person’s likelihood of testing positive for COVID-19 or being vaccinated. Samples involved in this study were taken from students in the Flagstaff Unified School District (FUSD), ranging from elementary to high school age. Further investigation into health disparities surrounding COVID-19 will enable the development of a more efficient and targeted strategy of combating the spread of COVID-19 through continued testing and vaccination for disproportionately affected populations.