DALLAS – As of October, Parkland Center of Clinical Innovations’ (PCCI) Vulnerability Index continues to observe increases in vulnerability to COVID-19 infection in Dallas County, with several hot-spots showing a significant increase in their Vulnerability Index (VI) .
Launched in June, PCCI’s Vulnerability Index determines communities at risk by examining comorbidity rates, including chronic illnesses such as hypertension, cancer, diabetes and heart disease; areas with high density of populations over the age of 65; and increased social deprivation such as lack of access to food, medicine, employment and transportation. These factors are combined with dynamic mobility rates and confirmed COVID-19 cases where a vulnerability index value is scaled relative to July 2020’s COVID-19 peak value.
The Vulnerability Index reports that in early October (See Table 1), the ZIP Code with the highest vulnerability value continued to be 75211, around Cockrell Hill. This area has been a high-risk area since the launch of PCCI’s Vulnerability Index.
Other ZIP codes of note include the area in 75228, which has risen from the sixth most at risk zone in July to the second most as of October. The ZIP code, 75204, is now the seventh most at-risk zone, after being outside the top ten in July. Additionally, the ZIP codes, 75240 and 75243 both dropped out of the top ten most vulnerable ZIP codes as of October.
PCCI’s Vulnerability Index also found that the top five most vulnerable ZIP codes showed the most extreme increases (See Table 2); the next five had growth but remain at a moderate Vulnerability Index levels. Contributing to vulnerability rating for all ten ZIP codes was increased year-over-year mobility that was detected. COVID-19 case counts have also increased generally across the county.
“The ways to fight this virus remain the same as prior months – limit outside visits,
wash your hands regularly and thoroughly with soap, wear a mask when travel is required outside the home, and continue social distancing,” said Thomas Roderick, PhD, Senior Data and Applied Scientist at PCCI. “Also, be sure to listen to public health authorities, such as the Dallas County HHS, Texas DSHS, and CDC. Working together we can push back against the recent increase in cases.”
The PCCI COVID-19 Vulnerability Index can be found on its COVID-19 Hub for Dallas County at: https://covid-analytics-pccinnovation.hub.arcgis.com/.
Data Sources:
To build Vulnerability Index, PCCI relied on data from Parkland Health & Hospital System, Dallas County Health and Human Services Department, the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council, U.S. Census, and SafeGraph.
About Parkland Center for Clinical Innovation
Parkland Center for Clinical Innovation (PCCI) is an independent, not-for-profit, healthcare intelligence organization affiliated with Parkland Health & Hospital System. PCCI leverages clinical expertise, data science and social determinants of health to address the needs of vulnerable populations. We believe that data, done right, has the power to galvanize communities, inform leaders, and empower people.
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