Factors that influenced testing positive and dying from COVID-19 in the West South-Central Division of the United States and its Effects on Future Public Health Policy

Objectives Examine the relationship between various demographic characteristics and meso variables measuring social vulnerability, religiosity, political partisanship, and the built environment on the probability of testing positive for COVID-19 and dying after testing positive for the virus. Methods The individual-level variables are from the data collected by the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals. Meso variables were sourced from various platforms. The data are analyzed using a spatial bivariate probit model with copulas in a generalized additive model framework. Results The main results suggest a strong and positive association between individual-level covariates and testing positive for the virus and dying from it. The effects of social vulnerability, religiosity, political partisanship, and the built environment varied non-linearly; their effects were within a given critical range. Conclusions To mitigate the impact of future pandemics like COVID-19, public health policies should focus on addressing existing health disparities, fostering meaningful engagement with community institutions and diverse leaders, and applying proven and scientific public health considerations, while minimizing the influence of political ideologies and culture.