Changing socioeconomic inequalities in the incidence and case fatality rates of COVID-19 in Germany, March 2020 through May 2022: an ecological study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Socioeconomic disparities in COVID-19 burden were widely observed during the pandemic's early waves, including in Germany, but studies on whether these inequalities have persisted or changed as the pandemic progressed are lacking.

Methods

We used an ecological study design to assess the relationship between a range of demographic, socioeconomic, and healthcare-related predictors and COVID-19 impact in Germany. Specifically, we fit generalized additive models to cumulative, district-level (n = 400) COVID-19 incidence and case fatality rates (CFRs) for each of the first five pandemic waves, which covered the period from March 2020 through May 2022.

Results

We find that associations between socioeconomic deprivation and COVID-19 impact evolved over time. Speci

SUBMITTER: Kramer SC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12492518 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature