Esri and United Nations Create COVID-19 Population Vulnerability Dashboard

This new interactive tool will provide public health workers, policy makers, and the general public with access to useful information on populations vulnerable to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in order to target preparedness and response and to help save lives.

The dashboard highlights population vulnerabilities at the national and subnational levels, using data from the latest Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) census samples for 94 countries. It identifies populations at older ages, including those living alone, and includes risk factors for COVID-19 transmission such as residential density (household size and persons per room) and access to piped water and other amenities.

Daily updates on COVID-19 cases and deaths are embedded in the dashboard, as is global data on health sector readiness. This includes the density of available health care workers, hospital beds, and intensive care units (ICUs).

“National and subnational disparities in vulnerability can be striking,” said Linda Peters, Esri global business development manager. “How these differences will affect overall transmission and health risk will be shaped by critical factors such as the scale and timing of government lockdowns. But geographic comparisons help us anticipate potential risks, and remind us of the huge differences in underlying development needs and health sector readiness between countries.”