Differences in US COVID-19 case rates and case fatality rates across the urban–rural continuum AUTHORS

摘要

The majority of COVID-19 public health and media messaging in the USA has focused on major outbreaks in densely populated urban areas, including New York City, New Orleans and Seattle. This attention is indeed warranted, as the number of deaths is an important indicator of outbreak severity and informs public health, medical and government responses. In addition to case rates and the number of deaths, the case fatality rate is another epidemiologic tool used in disease surveillance and is helpful in illuminating disparities between urban and rural populations. Case fatality rates account for the number of deaths (numerator) and the number of reported cases (denominator), allowing for direct comparisons of the mortality burden of a disease between areas where the reported case rates may differ.