The Demographics of COVID-19 Continue to Evolve

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was clear who was at greatest risk for COVID-19-related mortality and morbidity—older adults and those with preexisting conditions such as diabetes, and where—urban centers with dense populations in the Northeast and on the West Coast. Today, these demographics have largely been turned on their head. Those at greatest risk for serious COVID-19 illness are younger, rural, and live in the South. The biggest change maker is vaccine status. As older adults were offered access to COVID-19 vaccines first and dissemination rolled out quickly in large cities, the pandemic moved past these populations to impact those who remain unvaccinated. Rural areas in Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, and West Virginia have experienced some of the highest COVID-19 mortality rates, which correlate with the regions’ low levels of vaccination. Click here to read more.