Population Vulnerability to the SARS‐CoV‐2 Virus Infection. A County‐Level Geographical‐Methodological Approach in Romania

Autor: Adriana Pistol, Nicoleta Damian, Paul-Răzvan Şerban, Ines Grigorescu, Irena Mocanu, Monica Dumitraşcu, Bianca Mitrică
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
medicine.medical_specialty
Informatics
Epidemiology
Health
Toxicology and Mutagenesis
Population
Vulnerability
Management
Monitoring
Policy and Law
Environmental protection
geographical‐methodological approach
Environmental health
Pandemic
TD169-171.8
medicine
Strategic communication
education
Waste Management and Disposal
Water Science and Technology
Global and Planetary Change
Adaptive capacity
education.field_of_study
population vulnerability
Romania
Public health
Public Health
Environmental and Occupational Health
Geospatial
Geohealth
Pollution
Europe
NUTS3/County level
Identification (information)
Geography
Water supply network
SARS‐CoV‐2 virus infection/COVID‐19 disease
Public Health
Geographic Location
The COVID‐19 pandemic: linking health
society and environment
Research Article
Zdroj: GeoHealth, Vol 5, Iss 11, Pp n/a-n/a (2021)
GeoHealth
ISSN: 2471-1403
Popis: The assessment and identification of risk/vulnerable groups and risk factors are vital elements that can help quantify the pandemic potential of the SARS‐CoV‐2 virus in order to plan prevention and treatment measures. The aim of the study is to identify a methodological approach of population vulnerability to the SARS‐CoV‐2 virus infection. The study identifies reliable data sources and sets up a unitary database with statistical variables, quantitative and qualitative indicators with potential for being updated and improved. The analysis takes into account a number of variables/indicators (e.g., elderly persons, population without physician care, number of people suffering from cardiovascular diseases, number of people suffering from respiratory diseases, dwellings not connected to the public water supply network, no. of medical staff, number of COVID‐19 hospitals, PCR testing laboratories, number of vaccinated persons) grouped into the key vulnerability components: exposure, sensitivity, coping capacity and adaptive capacity. They allowed the computation of the final Index of Population Vulnerability to the SARS‐CoV‐2 virus infection and the mapping of different dimensions of vulnerability. The study was performed using the statistical data available at NUTS3/County level provided by different institutions (e.g., the Ministry of Health, the National Institute of Public Health, the Strategic Communication Group, and the National Institute of Statistics). The mapping of the different degrees of vulnerability could solve a problem of visibility for possible areas with vulnerable population, but also a problem of communication between different institutional health and administrative levels, as well as between all of them and the local communities and/or professionals.
Key Points Risk/vulnerable groups and risk factors are vital elements that can help quantify the pandemic potential of the SARS‐CoV‐2 virusThe mapping of the different degrees of vulnerability could solve a problem of visibility of possible areas with vulnerable populationThe results could lead to a rethinking of the interventions of the decision‐makers
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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