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NHPI-AA COVID Risk Index

Frequently Asked Questions

 

1. What is the objective of the Native Hawaiian Pacific Islanders (NHPI) and Asian American (AA) COVID Risk Index?

 

Our objective is to reduce COVID-19 infections in vulnerable NHPI and AA communities in Los Angeles (LA) County by ensuring these NHPI and AA populations have equitable access to COVID prevention and vaccination resources. Underserved NHPI and AA populations suffer higher COVID-19 infection rates compared to white populations in LA County.

 

Using data analytics, the Index measures COVID risk for vulnerable NHPI and AA communities in areas throughout LA County.  Public health agencies, healthcare providers, and community health organizations can use the Index to strategically mobilize resources to reduce COVID infections in the identified areas.

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2. How does the Index measure COVID Risk for NHPI and AA Communities?

 

The Index identifies the NHPI and AA COVID Risk areas by analyzing:

  • NHPI and AA demographics;

  • weekly COVID-19 cases; 

  • bi-weekly vaccination rates; and

  • population poverty rates.

 

The Index is based on the Advancement Project California’s COVID-19 Priority Places Index methodology and is calculated weekly with official COVID case data from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health’s COVID Surveillance Dashboard.

 

3. What is the purpose of the COVID Symptom Hotspot Indicator?

 

Our objective is to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks in LA County by identifying COVID symptom hotspots in real-time. By identifying symptom hotspots, we can increase community outreach and vaccinations to reduce COVID-19 infections in these areas.

 

4. How are the COVID Symptom Hotspots identified?

 

We identify COVID-19 outbreaks by zip codes in LA County based on social media signals of COVID-19 symptoms. Our methodology is based on the Harvard University study that found social media signals related to COVID-19 symptoms on channels, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google, can predict COVID-19 case outbreaks as early as 14 days. (See this article: NY Times: Can an Algorithm Predict the Pandemic’s Next Moves? Researchers have developed a model that uses social-media and search data to forecast outbreaks of Covid-19 well before they occur).

 

Our analysis measures the LA County zip codes with the highest level of COVID-19 symptoms on social media within a 7-day period based on anonymous and aggregated data.  

 

Questions and comments, please contact: alert@smartairla.org

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