The Mismatch of COVID-19 Vaccination Implementation: A Case Study in San Diego

Keywords: Health Disparity, COVID-19, Vaccination
Abstract Type: Paper Abstract

Abstract

COVID-19 vaccines are one of the most effective medical intervention for fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccines can provide great protection against getting seriously ill, hospitalized, and death (CDC, 2022). However, some COVID-19 vaccination strategies in local communities may create health disparity problems. This study examines the COVID-19 vaccination data in the County of San Diego from 8/01/2020 to 6/30/2022 at the ZIP Code units and analyze their correlation with socioeconomic variables (as potential social determinates of health). We also compare these association patterns between COVID-19 vaccination rates versus confirmed case rates at ZIP code units. We found out that at beginning stage of vaccination, Hispanic population has the highest positive association with confirmed cases (0.83) and strong negative correlation with vaccination rate (-0.5). The mismatch between the vulnerable groups and the vaccination rates can be found in other socioeconomic variables (such as population-without-insurance and population-with-high-school-degree-only). These findings can help public health officials to improve the COVID-19 vaccination strategies in the future.