COVID-19 Dashboard

COVID-19 in Florida: A Disparities Dashboard

The updated Florida Health Justice Project’s (FHJP) COVID-19 Disparities Dashboard presents COVID-19 data in accordance with the Florida Department of Health’s (FDOH) transition from daily to weekly COVID-19 data reporting in June 2021 (Florida Will No Longer Release Daily COVID-19 Numbers, Moves to Weekly Reports). The FHJP COVID-19 Disparities Dashboard presents COVID-19 data stratified by state/county level. This dashboard also presents state-level data further stratified by race/ethnicity and age groups.

County level data includes cumulative vaccination, case positivity rates and the number of cases per 100,000 population, as well as hospitalization data (newly added in the dashboard's January 2022 update) to assess COVID-19 severe disease and hospital utilization/capacity. Observed county-level disparities are likely due to a confluence of factors, such as the demographic and socio-economic makeup of the county (e.g., age distribution, poverty rate, uninsurance rate), among others. Observed racial/ethnic and age disparities may be influenced by individual risk factors (e.g. co-morbidities, medication use such as immunosuppressants and being of older age), among others. However, it is also important to acknowledge the significant impact of the social and economic environment on the observed racial/ethnic disparities (e.g., the higher prevalence of minorities in high-exposure occupations, multi-generational housing, access to care barriers), among others (Please consider reading, “The State of COVID-19 in Florida and South Florida: An Early Look at Disparities in Outcomes”).

There are limitations in the data presented. The data available does not present a complete picture of the disparities that may exist on a more granular level (i.e. at the county level) since county-level data stratified by race/ethnicity and age is no longer available in the new FDOH weekly reports. Also, the presented hospitalization data is limited in its ability to differentiate severity of COVID-19 disease. For example- hospitalization data may include incidental findings of COVID-19 (i.e., individuals who were admitted to the hospital for a non-COVID-19 related event, but were found to be COVID-19 positive through routine hospital laboratory testing). Consequently, the presented hospitalization data may not reflect a true representation of COVID-19 disease severity. In fact, results of one nationwide study suggests that almost 50% of COVID-19 hospitalizations had asymptomatic or mild disease (Source: Our Most Reliable Pandemic Number Is Losing Meaning). Despite this, we present hospitalization data from the CDC COVID Data Tracker to not only offer some insight into severity of disease, but to also assess the impact of COVID-19 on hospital utilization/capacity. Hospitalization data may also offer critical insight pertaining to the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare system capacity and changes in disease severity; offering insight into the possible trajectory of COVID-19 deaths in light of the time lag associated with reported deaths.

February COVID-19 Data Update: Overall, trend data for the February 2022 update (spanning the period of February 4, 2022 to March 10, 2022) shows a stark decrease in the number of cases per 100,000 population. When examining the number of cases by race/ethnicity- all race/ethnicity groups and age groups saw a stark decrease in the number of cases per 100,000.

On the contrary, there continues to be increases in the number of deaths per 100,000 population for all race/ethnicity groups, as well as small, but steady increases among individuals 40 years and older. Although seniors (65 years and older), as well as non-Hispanic (NH) and Hispanic Blacks closed out the update period with the lowest number of cases per 100,000 population, Blacks and seniors continue to be most affected by COVID-19 deaths.

COVID-19 State/County Level Data: Compared to Miami-Dade (M-D) and Orange (O) counties, Duval (D) county continues to have the lowest vaccination rate of all three counties under examination (D: 64%; O: 77%; M-D: 98%). Although Duval county closed out the update period with the lowest number of cases per 100,000 population, Duval county had the highest number of new COVID-19 admissions per 100 beds (D: 11.3; O: 6.8; M-D: 4.6), as well as the highest percent of beds (including ICU beds) used for COVID-19.

COVID-19 State Level Data by Race/Ethnicity: During the period of this update, Blacks (regardless of ethnicity group) continue to have the lowest vaccination rate (36% for NH Blacks and 41% for Hispanic Blacks) while Hispanic Whites have the highest vaccination rates (53%).

COVID-19 State Level Data by Age: Seniors (65 years and older) continue to have the highest vaccination rate compared to all other age groups. However, seniors continue to be disproportionately affected by COVID-19 deaths.

To scroll through county-level charts, click on the arrow at the right edge of the first graph.

Updated FHJP COVID-19 Disparities Dashboard by Dr. Shenae Samuels-Staple

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