Year: 2020
Type: report
Abstract: In this brief, author Kenneth Johnson discusses the likely influence that the age structure and the incidence of pre-existing health conditions have on the risks of those exposed to COVID-19 in rural and urban counties in the United States. Johnson reports that the rural population is at higher risk from COVID-19 because it is older and has higher rates of pre-existing health conditions. Rural areas currently have lower COVID-19 case and death rates, but these rates are rising faster than in urban areas. Nearly 32 percent of the rural counties at high risk from COVID-19 still have relatively few cases and deaths, but as the pandemic continues to spread these counties are in jeopardy, and the risk to rural populations is growing. Should the spread of the virus further disrupt the infrastructure and supply chains of rural America, it will have significant implications for the nation at large because rural America provides most of the country’s food and raw materials. The fates of rural and urban America are inextricably intertwined, so responding to the virus must address the needs of both areas.
DOI: 10.34051/p/2021.5
Author: Kenneth Johnson
Institution: University of New Hampshire
Language: English
Subfield: Modeling and Simulation
Field: Mathematics
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
OpenAlex ID: W3080638159