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Volume 27, Number 7—July 2021
Dispatch

Assessing Community Vulnerability over 3 Waves of COVID-19 Pandemic, Hong Kong, China

Qiuyan LiaoComments to Author , Meihong Dong, Jiehu Yuan, Richard Fielding, Benjamin J. Cowling, Irene Oi Ling Wong, and Wendy Wing Tak Lam
Author affiliations: University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China (Q. Liao, M. Dong, J. Yuan, R. Fielding, B.J. Cowling, I.O.L. Wong, W.W.T. Lam); Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong (B.J. Cowling)

Main Article

Table 1

Domains and domain indictors for calculating community vulnerability index in the context of the coronavirus disease pandemic, Hong Kong*

Domain Descriptions of the indicators
Socioeconomic status†
Poverty Proportion of persons below poverty line‡
Unemployment Proportion of persons >15 years of age who are unemployed
Income Median income per capita
Educational level
Proportion persons >15 years of age having education level below high school
Household composition†
Persons >65 years of age Proportion of persons >65 years of age
Persons <14 years of age Proportion of persons <14 years of age
Single-parent households Proportion of single-parent households among all households
Elderly living alone
Proportion of elderly (>65 years of age) living alone
Housing conditions†
Household density Mean number of persons per household
Area of accommodation
Median floor area of accommodation per household
Healthcare system factors§
Hospital beds Proportion of hospital beds per 100,000 persons
Intensive care unit (ICU) beds Proportion of ICU beds per 100,000 persons
Hospital labor
Proportion of hospital labor force (full-time staff employed by Hong Kong Hospital Authority) per 100,000 persons
Epidemiologic factors
Population density¶ Estimated persons per square kilometre
Obesity# Proportion of persons with BMI ≥25
Hypertension# Proportion of persons with hypertension
Smoking# Proportion of daily smokers
Persons employed in transportation sector† Proportion of persons employed in transportation sector
Persons employed in accommodation and food catering sectors† Proportion of persons employed in accommodation and food catering sectors
Working outside residency district† Proportion of persons not working in the district of their residence
Entertainment venues** Number of entertainment venues (e.g., bar, karaoke, wine, club house)
Non–Chinese ethnicities † Proportion of persons with non–Chinese ethnicities

*All statistics were calculated at the residential district level of Hong Kong. †Data from the 2016 Hong Kong population by-census data (https://www.censtatd.gov.hk/hkstat/sub/so459.jsp). ‡Monthly household income is below 50% of the median monthly household income in Hong Kong before any government interventions. §Data from the 2018–2019 Hospital Authority Annual Report, Hong Kong (https://www3.ha.org.hk/data/HAStatistics/StatisticalReport/2018-2019). ¶Data from the Hong Kong Statistical Reports: Land area, mid-year population and population density by District Council district, 2019 edition (https://www.censtatd.gov.hk/hkstat/sub/sp150.jsp?productCode = D5320189). #Data from the 2015 report of a major Family Project Cohort Study comprising ≈8,000 households in Hong Kong (https://familycohort.sph.hku.hk/en/knowledge_exchange.html). **Data from OpenRice (https://www.openrice.com/en/hongkong), the most popular restaurant review app, which provides the largest database of food venues, bars and other entertainment venues in Hong Kong.

Main Article

Page created: April 26, 2021
Page updated: June 17, 2021
Page reviewed: June 17, 2021
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
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