ARCTICenter, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA, United States.
Department of Geography, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA, United States.
Front Public Health. 2024 Jan 8;11:1324105. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1324105. eCollection 2023.
This study examines the COVID-19 pandemic's spatiotemporal dynamics in 52 sub-regions in eight Arctic states. This study further investigates the potential impact of early vaccination coverage on subsequent COVID-19 outcomes within these regions, potentially revealing public health insights of global significance.
We assessed the outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic in Arctic sub-regions using three key epidemiological variables: confirmed cases, confirmed deaths, and case fatality ratio (CFR), along with vaccination rates to evaluate the effectiveness of the early vaccination campaign on the later dynamics of COVID-19 outcomes in these regions.
From February 2020 to February 2023, the Arctic experienced five distinct waves of COVID-19 infections and fatalities. However, most Arctic regions consistently maintained Case Fatality Ratios (CFRs) below their respective national levels throughout these waves. Further, the regression analysis indicated that the impact of initial vaccination coverage on subsequent cumulative mortality rates and Case Fatality Ratio (CFR) was inverse and statistically significant. A common trend was the delayed onset of the pandemic in the Arctic due to its remoteness. A few regions, including Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Northern Canada, Finland, and Norway, experienced isolated spikes in cases at the beginning of the pandemic with minimal or no fatalities. In contrast, Alaska, Northern Sweden, and Russia had generally high death rates, with surges in cases and fatalities.
Analyzing COVID-19 data from 52 Arctic subregions shows significant spatial and temporal variations in the pandemic's severity. Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Northern Canada, Finland, and Norway exemplify successful pandemic management models characterized by low cases and deaths. These outcomes can be attributed to successful vaccination campaigns, and proactive public health initiatives along the delayed onset of the pandemic, which reduced the impact of COVID-19, given structural and population vulnerabilities. Thus, the Arctic experience of COVID-19 informs preparedness for future pandemic-like public health emergencies in remote regions and marginalized communities worldwide that share similar contexts.
本研究考察了 COVID-19 大流行在八个北极国家的 52 个次区域的时空动态。本研究进一步调查了早期疫苗接种覆盖率对这些地区随后 COVID-19 结果的潜在影响，这可能揭示了具有全球意义的公共卫生见解。
我们使用三个关键的流行病学变量评估了北极次区域 COVID-19 大流行的结果：确诊病例、确诊死亡和病死率（CFR），以及疫苗接种率，以评估早期疫苗接种活动对这些地区 COVID-19 结果后期动态的有效性。
从 2020 年 2 月到 2023 年 2 月，北极经历了五次不同的 COVID-19 感染和死亡浪潮。然而，在这些浪潮中，大多数北极地区的病死率（CFR）始终保持在低于各自国家水平的水平。此外，回归分析表明，初始疫苗接种覆盖率对随后累积死亡率和病死率（CFR）的影响是相反的，且具有统计学意义。一个共同的趋势是由于其偏远性，北极大流行的开始时间较晚。包括格陵兰、冰岛、法罗群岛、加拿大北部、芬兰和挪威在内的少数地区在大流行开始时出现了孤立的病例激增，几乎没有或没有死亡。相比之下，阿拉斯加、瑞典北部和俄罗斯的死亡率普遍较高，病例和死亡人数激增。
分析来自 52 个北极次区域的 COVID-19 数据显示，大流行的严重程度存在显著的空间和时间变化。格陵兰、冰岛、法罗群岛、加拿大北部、芬兰和挪威是成功的大流行管理模式的典范，其特点是病例和死亡人数低。这些结果可归因于成功的疫苗接种活动以及大流行开始较晚时的积极公共卫生举措，这些举措减轻了 COVID-19 的影响，考虑到结构和人口脆弱性。因此，北极地区的 COVID-19 经验为全球具有相似背景的偏远地区和边缘化社区未来类似大流行的公共卫生紧急情况的准备工作提供了信息。
