October 21, 2020

Initial Economic Damage from the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States Is More Widespread across Ages and Geographies than Initial Mortality Impacts

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Public Health Policy and Practice

Keywords (Tags): economic impact, mental health personal impact

The excess all-cause mortality and employment displacement resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic in the US was distributed unevenly, with very high concentrations in a small number of states. In April 2020, the national excess all-cause mortality was 2.4 per 10,000 individuals and employment displacement was 9.9 per 100 individuals. The authors identified the excess mortality was highly concentrated, with the two states (New York and New Jersey) accounting for about half of the national excess mortality. In contrast, the impact on employment displacement was more spread out, with the two states with the highest employment displacement (Nevada and Michigan) accounting for only 7% of the national displacement. 

Polyakova et al. (Oct 20, 2020). Initial Economic Damage from the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States Is More Widespread across Ages and Geographies than Initial Mortality Impacts. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2014279117