County-Level Sociodemographic Factors Associated with COVID-19 Incidence and Mortality in North and South Carolina.

BACKGROUND There is limited research regarding associations between county-level factors and COVID-19 incidence and mortality. While the Carolinas are geographically connected, they are not homogeneous, with statewide political and intra-state socioeconomic differences leading to heterogeneous spread between and within states.METHODS Infection and mortality data from Johns Hopkins University during the 7 months since the first reported case in the Carolinas was combined with county-level socioeconomic/demographic factors. Time series imputations were performed whenever county-level reported infections were implausible. Multivariate Poisson regression models were fitted to extract incidence (infection and mortality) rate ratios by county-level factor. State-level differences in filtered trends were also calculated. Geospatial maps and Kaplan-Meier curves were constructed stratifying by median county-level factor. Differences between North and South Carolina were identified.RESULTS Incidence and mortality rates were lower in North Carolina than South Carolina. Statistically significant higher incidence and mortality rates were associated with counties in both states with higher proportions of Black/African American populations and those without health insurance aged < 65 years. Counties with larger populations aged ≥ 75 years were associated with increased mortality (but decreased incidence) rates.LIMITATIONS COVID-19 data contained multiple inconsistencies, so imputation was needed, and covariate-based data was not synchronous and potentially insufficient in granularity given the epidemiology of the disease. County-level analyses imply within-county homogeneity, an assumption increasingly breached by larger counties.CONCLUSION While statewide interventions were initially implemented, inter-county racial/ethnic and socioeconomic variability points to the need for more heterogeneous interventions, including policies, as populations within particular counties may be at higher risk.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Disparities in Motor Vehicle Traffic Deaths and Injuries among North Carolina American Indians.

A Periodic Feature to Inform North Carolina Health Care Professionals About Current Topics in Health Statistics.

Characterisation of infection-induced SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence amongst children and adolescents in North Carolina.

Few prospective studies have documented the seropositivity among those children infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. From 2 April 2021 to 24 June 2021, we prospectively enrolled children between the ages of 2 and 17 years at three North Carolina healthcare systems. Participants received at least four at-home serological tests detecting the presence of antibodies against, but not differentiating between, the nucleocapsid or spike antigen. A total of 1,058 participants were enrolled in the study, completing 2,709 tests between 1 May 2021 and 31 October 2021. Using multilevel regression with poststratification techniques and considering our assay sensitivity and sensitivity, we estimated that the seroprevalence of infection-induced antibodies among unvaccinated children and adolescents aged 2-17 years in North Carolina increased from 15.2% (95% credible interval, CrI 9.0-22.0) in May 2021 to 54.1% (95% CrI 46.7-61.1) by October 2021, indicating an average infection-to-reported-case ratio of 5. A rapid rise in seropositivity was most pronounced in those unvaccinated children aged 12-17 years, based on our estimates. This study underlines the utility of serial, serological testing to inform a broader understanding of the regional immune landscape and spread of infection.

Spatiotemporal characteristics of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta wave in North Carolina.

We constructed county-level models to examine properties of the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant wave of infections in North Carolina and assessed immunity levels (via prior infection, via vaccination, and overall) prior to the Delta wave. To understand how prior immunity shaped Delta wave outcomes, we assessed relationships among these characteristics. Peak weekly infection rate and total percent of the population infected during the Delta wave were negatively correlated with the proportion of people with vaccine-derived immunity prior to the Delta Wave, signaling that places with higher vaccine uptake had better outcomes. We observed a positive correlation between immunity via infection prior to Delta and percent of the population infected during the Delta wave, meaning that counties with poor pre-Delta outcomes also had poor Delta wave outcomes. Our findings illustrate geographic variation in outcomes during the Delta wave in North Carolina, highlighting regional differences in population characteristics and infection dynamics.

SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Prevalence among Industrial Livestock Operation Workers and Nearby Community Residents, North Carolina, 2021 to 2022.

Industrial livestock operations (ILOs), particularly processing facilities, emerged as centers of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreaks in spring 2020. Confirmed cases of COVID-19 underestimate true prevalence. To investigate the prevalence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, we enrolled 279 participants in North Carolina from February 2021 to July 2022: 90 from households with at least one ILO worker (ILO), 97 from high-ILO intensity areas (ILO neighbors [ILON]), and 92 from metropolitan areas (metro). More metro (55.4%) compared to ILO (51.6%) and ILON participants (48.4%) completed the COVID-19 primary vaccination series; the median completion date was more than 4 months later for ILO compared to ILON and metro participants, although neither difference was statistically significant. Participants provided a saliva swab we analyzed for SARS-CoV-2 IgG using a multiplex immunoassay. The prevalence of infection-induced IgG (positive for nucleocapsid and receptor binding domain) was higher among ILO (63%) than ILON (42.9%) and metro (48.7%) participants (prevalence ratio [PR], 1.38; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06 to 1.80; reference category ILON and metro combined). The prevalence of infection-induced IgG was also higher among ILO participants than among an Atlanta health care worker cohort (PR, 2.45; 95% CI, 1.80 to 3.33) and a general population cohort in North Carolina (PRs, 6.37 to 10.67). The infection-induced IgG prevalence increased over the study period. Participants reporting not masking in public in the past 2 weeks had higher infection-induced IgG prevalence (78.6%) than participants reporting masking (49.3%) (PR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.19 to 2.13). Lower education, more people per bedroom, Hispanic/Latino ethnicity, and more contact with people outside the home were also associated with higher infection-induced IgG prevalence. IMPORTANCE Few studies have measured COVID-19 seroprevalence in North Carolina, especially among rural, Black, and Hispanic/Latino communities that have been heavily affected. Antibody results show high rates of COVID-19 among industrial livestock operation workers and their household members. Antibody results add to evidence of health disparities related to COVID-19 by socioeconomic status and ethnicity. Associations between masking and physical distancing with antibody results also add to evidence of the effectiveness of these prevention strategies. Delays in the timing of receipt of COVID-19 vaccination reinforce the importance of dismantling vaccination barriers, especially for industrial livestock operation workers and their household members.

COVID-19 Symptoms by Variant Period in the North Carolina COVID-19 Community Research Partnership, North Carolina, USA.

In North Carolina, USA, the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant was associated with changing symptomology in daily surveys, including increasing rates of self-reported cough and sore throat and decreased rates of loss of taste and smell. Compared with the pre-Delta period, Delta and Omicron (pre-BA.4/BA.5) variant periods were associated with shorter symptom duration.

Digital Inclusion for Farmworkers in a Pandemic: The North Carolina Farmworker Health Program Internet Connectivity Project, 2020‒2021.

The North Carolina Farmworker Health Program (NCFHP) implemented an emergency program in response to North Carolina migrant and seasonal farmworkers' urgent need for Internet access for health information, family connections, and telehealth services during COVID-19 isolation and quarantine. This article describes the NCFHP Internet Connectivity Project implementation and evaluation from June 2020 to December 2021. The project placed 448 devices across the state and provided Internet access to more than 3184 farmworkers during the 2021 peak farming season. (Am J Public Health. 2022;112(11):1551-1555. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.307017).

Physical Activity Among Adults in Rural Western North Carolina During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

INTRODUCTION: During the COVID-19 pandemic, measures implemented to protect community health may have influenced how and where people engaged in physical activity. In rural communities, access to resources, the environment, and socioeconomic status could play a role in how adults are physically active. Our study examined locations where rural residents of a county in western North Carolina engaged in physical activity early in the COVID-19 pandemic, their reasons for being physically active, and their perceptions of benefits and barriers related to engaging in physical activity. METHODS: Rural adults (N =297) completed an online survey from August 3 through September 15, 2020, describing their physical activity during the summer of 2020. Data were analyzed using nonparametric measures. RESULTS: Survey respondents frequently engaged in physical activity in the home (57.8%), at parks or on trails (45.3%), and around their neighborhood (39.4%). The most common types of physical activities at parks or on trails were walking and hiking (99.5%). Across all locations, the most frequently reported reasons for engaging in physical activity were getting out of the house, maintaining fitness and mental health, and exercising. CONCLUSION: Our study showed many locations where rural residents were physically active and their reasons for participating in physical activity during the pandemic. Data about perceived benefits of and barriers to physical activity during the pandemic can assist in meeting the current need to increase physical activity levels in rural communities.

Investigating the Impact of Covid-19 on Telepsychiatry Use Across Sex and Race: A Study of North Carolina Emergency Departments.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic and the intervention measures have increased mental health problems among Americans. Telepsychiatry provides a safe and efficient way to serve mental health patients in emergency departments (EDs). The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on telepsychiatry consultations in North Carolina (NC) and analyze the differences across sex and race. Methods: This longitudinal observational study used data from the NC Statewide Telepsychiatry Program to examine temporal changes in ED telepsychiatry consultations from January 2019 to March 2021 (117 weeks), including 4,739 telepsychiatry consultations conducted by 27 hospitals in 24 counties in NC during the period. The outcome measures were telepsychiatry consultation counts. Weekly ED telepsychiatry consultation counts were calculated overall and stratified by sex and race. Results: The overall weekly ED telepsychiatry consultation counts were decreasing before the national lockdown but started increase after the lockdown. Moreover, the counts of telepsychiatry consultations for white patients had a stronger increasing trend than that for black patients. Comparing telepsychiatry counts during the lockdown period (March and April) in 2020 and the same period in 2019, male patients had higher counts while female patients had lower counts, and white patients had higher counts while black patients had lower counts. Discussion: It seems that the COVID-19 crisis has led to a heightening demand for telepsychiatry consultations in NC, and there is a possible race disparity in these demands between black and white mental health patients. These findings underscore the need to further develop telepsychiatry services and enhance access to black patients.

Vaccine-induced seroconversion in participants in the North Carolina COVID-19 community Research Partnership.

Well-regulated clinical trials have shown FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccines to be immunogenic and highly efficacious. We evaluated seroconversion rates in adults reporting ≥ 1 dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in a cohort study of nearly 8000 adults residing in North Carolina to validate immunogenicity using a novel approach: at-home, participant administered point-of-care testing. Overall, 91.4% had documented seroconversion within 75 days of first vaccination (median: 31 days). Participants who were older and male participants were less likely to seroconvert (adults aged 41-65: adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 0.69 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.64, 0.73], adults aged 66-95: aHR 0.55 [95% CI: 0.50, 0.60], compared to those 18-40; males: aHR 0.92 [95% CI: 0.87, 0.98], compared to females). Participants with evidence of prior infection were more likely to seroconvert than those without (aHR 1.50 [95% CI: 1.19, 1.88]) and those receiving BNT162b2 were less likely to seroconvert compared to those receiving mRNA-1273 (aHR 0.84 [95% CI: 0.79, 0.90]). Reporting at least one new symptom after first vaccination did not affect time to seroconversion, but participants reporting at least one new symptom after second vaccination were more likely to seroconvert (aHR 1.11 [95% CI: 1.05, 1.17]). This data demonstrates the high community-level immunogenicity of COVID-19 vaccines, albeit with notable differences in older adults, and feasibility of using at-home, participant administered point-of-care testing for community cohort monitoring. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04342884.

Rural-urban outcome differences associated with COVID-19 hospitalizations in North Carolina.

People living in rural regions in the United States face more health challenges than their non-rural counterparts which could put them at additional risks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Few studies have examined if rurality is associated with additional mortality risk among those hospitalized for COVID-19. We studied a retrospective cohort of 3,991 people hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 infections discharged between March 1 and September 30, 2020 in one of 17 hospitals in North Carolina that collaborate as a clinical data research network. Patient demographics, comorbidities, symptoms and laboratory data were examined. Logistic regression was used to evaluate associations of rurality with a composite outcome of death/hospice discharge. Comorbidities were more common in the rural patient population as were the number of comorbidities per patient. Overall, 505 patients died prior to discharge and 63 patients were discharged to hospice. Among rural patients, 16.5% died or were discharged to hospice vs. 13.3% in the urban cohort resulting in greater odds of death/hospice discharge (OR 1.3, 95% CI 1.1, 1.6). This estimate decreased minimally when adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, payer, disease comorbidities, presenting oxygen levels and cytokine levels (adjusted model OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.0, 1.5). This analysis demonstrated a higher COVID-19 mortality risk among rural residents of NC. Implementing policy changes may mitigate such disparities going forward.

LATIN-19: A Grassroots Coalition to Mitigate the Effect of COVID-19 on the Latinx Community in North Carolina.

BACKGROUND: Social inequity is a primary driver of health disparities, creating multiple barriers to good health. These inequities were exacerbated during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, with Latinx communities suffering more than others. Grassroots collaborations have long existed to address disparities. OBJECTIVE: We describe the creation and work of the Latinx Advocacy Team and Interdisciplinary Network for COVID-19 (LATIN-19; http://latin19.org/), a multisector coalition in North Carolina created to address the unique challenges of COVID-19 in the Latinx community. METHODS: We discuss challenges and solutions that LATIN-19 addressed and the impact of LATIN-19 on community partners and members. RESULTS: LATIN-19 learned of challenges including, lack of awareness, need for data systems to track disparities, the need to increase access to resources, the need for policy changes, and the need to coordinate services by community organizations. CONCLUSIONS: LATIN-19 represents a grassroots organization that has had an impact on community and community organizations that spans beyond COVID-19.

Impact of COVID-19 on Excessive Alcohol Use in North Carolina.

Excessive alcohol use, already problematic in North Carolina, has increased markedly during COVID-19. Alcohol-related morbidity and mortality have also increased.

Impact of COVID-19 on Structure and Function of Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) Sites in North Carolina.

OBJECTIVES: The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) deeply affected all forms of long-term care for older adults, highlighting infection control issues, provider and staff shortages, and other challenges. As a comparatively new, community-based long-term care option, the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) faced unique challenges. This project investigated the impact of COVID-19 on operations in all PACE programs in one US state. DESIGN: Qualitative study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Structured interviews with administrators of all 12 PACE programs in North Carolina. METHODS: Interviews were conducted December 2020 to January 2021 by trained interviewers over Zoom; they were transcribed, coded, and qualitatively analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Reported COVID-19 infection rates among PACE participants for 2020 averaged 12.3 cases, 4.6 hospitalizations, and 1.9 deaths per 100 enrollees. Six themes emerged from analyses: new, unprecedented administrative challenges; insufficient access to and integration with other health care providers; reevaluation of the core PACE model, resulting in a transition to home-based care; reorientation to be more family-focused in care provision; implementation of new, creative strategies to address participant and family psychological and social well-being in the home; and major reconfiguration of staffing, including transitions to new and different roles and a concomitant effort to provide support and relief to staff. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: While facing many challenges that required major changes in care provision, PACE was successful in mounting a COVID-19 response that upheld safety, promoted the physical and mental well-being of participants, and responded to the needs of family caregivers. Administrators felt that, after the pandemic, the PACE service model is likely to remain more home-based and less reliant on the day center than in the past. As a result, PACE may have changed for the better and be well-positioned to play an expanded role in our evolving long-term care system.

Experiences of COVID-19 infection in North Carolina: A qualitative analysis.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: It has been demonstrated that marginalized populations across the U.S. have suffered a disproportionate burden of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, illustrating the role that social determinants of health play in health outcomes. To better understand how these vulnerable and high-risk populations have experienced the pandemic, we conducted a qualitative study to better understand their experiences from diagnosis through recovery. METHODS: We conducted a qualitative study of patients in a North Carolina healthcare system's registry who tested positive for COVID-19 from March 2020 through February 2021, identified from population-dense outbreaks of COVID-19 (hotspots). We conducted semi-structured phone interviews in English or Spanish, based on patient preference, with trained bilingual study personnel. Each interview was evaluated using a combination of deductive and inductive content analysis to determine prevalent themes related to COVID-19 knowledge, diagnosis, disease experience, and long-term impacts. FINDINGS: The 10 patients interviewed from our COVID-19 hotspot clusters were of equal distribution by sex, predominantly Black (70%), aged 22-70 years (IQR 45-62 years), and more frequently publicly insured (50% Medicaid/Medicare, vs 30% uninsured, vs 20% private insurance). Major themes identified included prior knowledge of COVID-19 and patient perceptions of their personal risk, the testing process in numerous settings, the process of quarantining at home after a positive diagnosis, the experience of receiving medical care during their illness, and difficulties with long-term recovery. DISCUSSION: Our findings suggest areas for targeted interventions to reduce COVID-19 transmission in these high-risk communities, as well as improve the patient experience throughout the COVID-19 illness course.

Mental health emergency department visits: An exploration of case definitions in North Carolina.

BACKGROUND: Mental health (MH) disorders comprise a high disease burden and have long-lasting impacts. To improve MH, it is important to define public health MH surveillance. METHODS: We compared MH related definitions using ICD-10-CM codes: The Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists' (CSTE) surveillance indicators for all MH, mood or depressive, schizophrenic, and drug/alcohol-induced disorders; and North Carolina's (NC) syndromic surveillance system's definition for anxiety/mood/psychotic disorders, and suicide/self-harm. We compared code definitions and frequent codes in 2019 emergency department (ED) data for those age ≥ 10 years. RESULTS: CSTE's definition resulted in over one million MH-related visits (23% of all ED visits) and NC's definitions in 451,807 MH-related visits (9% of all ED visits). Using CSTE's broadest definition, nicotine use was the most common visit type; using NC's definitions, it was major depressive disorder. CONCLUSIONS: Standardizing population-level MH indicators benefits surveillance efforts. Given its prevalence, efforts should focus on documenting MH to improve treatment and prevention.

Ethnoracial Disparities in SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence in a Large Cohort of Individuals in Central North Carolina from April to December 2020.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused millions of deaths around the world within the past 2 years. Transmission within the United States has been heterogeneously distributed by geography and social factors with little data from North Carolina. Here, we describe results from a weekly cross-sectional study of 12,471 unique hospital remnant samples from 19 April to 26 December 2020 collected by four clinical sites within the University of North Carolina Health system, with a majority of samples from urban, outpatient populations in central North Carolina. We employed a Bayesian inference model to calculate SARS-CoV-2 spike protein immunoglobulin prevalence estimates and conditional odds ratios for seropositivity. Furthermore, we analyzed a subset of these seropositive samples for neutralizing antibodies. We observed an increase in seroprevalence from 2.9 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.8 to 4.5) to 12.8 (95% CI, 10.6 to 15.2) over the course of the study. Latinx individuals had the highest odds ratio of SARS-CoV-2 exposure at 6.56 (95% CI, 4.66 to 9.44). Our findings aid in quantifying the degree of asymmetric SARS-CoV-2 exposure by ethnoracial grouping. We also find that 49% of a subset of seropositive individuals had detectable neutralizing antibodies, which was skewed toward those with recent respiratory infection symptoms. IMPORTANCE PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 cases underestimate true prevalence. Few robust community-level SARS-CoV-2 ethnoracial and overall prevalence estimates have been published for North Carolina in 2020. Mortality has been concentrated among ethnoracial minorities and may result from a high likelihood of SARS-CoV-2 exposure, which we observe was particularly high among Latinx individuals in North Carolina. Additionally, neutralizing antibody titers are a known correlate of protection. Our observation that development of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies may be inconsistent and dependent on severity of symptoms makes vaccination a high priority despite prior exposure.

COVID-19 Reflections: COVID-19 Vaccination in North Carolina: Promoting Equity by Partnering with Communities and Health Care Providers.

North Carolina implemented a rapid statewide COVID-19 vaccine strategy that focused on vaccinating people quickly and equitably. We describe the sociodemographic factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine uptake in North Carolina and how these factors were considered in communication as well as community and health care provider engagement in the COVID-19 response.

Role of social determinants in anxiety and depression symptoms during COVID-19: A longitudinal study of adults in North Carolina and Massachusetts.

Trajectory studies of the COVID-19 pandemic have described patterns of symptoms over time. Yet, few have examined whether social determinants of health predict the progression of depression and anxiety symptoms during COVID-19 or identified which social determinants worsen symptom trajectories. Using a racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse sample of adults participating in a randomized clinical trial with pre-existing moderate to severe depression and/or anxiety symptoms, we compare symptom patterns before and during COVID-19; characterize symptom trajectories over a 20-week follow-up period; and evaluate whether social determinants are associated with within- and between- person differences in symptom trajectories. Data were collected before and during COVID-19 in Massachusetts and North Carolina. On average, depression and anxiety symptoms did not seem to worsen during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic. During COVID-19, anxiety scores at follow-up were higher for participants with baseline food insecurity (vs no food insecurity). Depression scores at follow-up were higher for participants with food insecurity and for those with utilities insecurity (vs no insecurity). Participants with child or family care responsibilities at baseline had depression symptoms decreasing at a slower rate than those without these responsibilities. We discuss the important implications of these findings.

The correlation between food insecurity and infant mortality in North Carolina.

OBJECTIVE: Food insecurity (FI) affects approximately 11·1 % of US households and is related to worsened infant outcomes. Evidence in lower income countries links FI and infant mortality rates (IMR), but there are limited data in the USA. This study examines the relationship between FI and IMR in North Carolina (NC). DESIGN: NC county-level health data were used from the 2019 Robert Woods Johnson Foundation County Health Rankings. The dependent variable was county-level IMR. Eighteen county-level independent variables were selected and a multivariable linear regression was performed. The independent variable, FI, was based on the United States Department of Agriculture's Food Security Supplement to the Current Population Survey. SETTING: NC counties. PARTICIPANTS: Residents of NC, county-level data. RESULTS: The mean NC county-level IMR was 7·9 per 1000 live births compared with 5·8 nationally. The average percentage of county population reporting FI was 15·4 % in the state v. 11·8 % nationally. Three variables statistically significantly predicted county IMR: percent of county population reporting FI; county population and percent population with diabetes (P values, respectively, < 0·04; < 0·05; < 0·03). These variables explained 42·4 % of the variance of county-level IMR. With the largest standardised coefficient (0·247), FI was the strongest predictor of IMR. CONCLUSIONS: FI, low birth weight and diabetes are positively correlated with infant mortality. While correlation is not causation, addressing FI as part of multifaceted social determinants of health might improve county-level IMR in NC.