A new data note summarizes and analyzes HRSA’s COVID-19 Survey data reported for the week of January 15, 2021, and presents updated trend data for the nine-month period from April 3, 2020 through January 15, 2021.
- With 99 percent of all community health centers now providing COVID-19 diagnostic testing, health centers have tested nearly 7.9 million for COVID-19 virus over the nine-month period from April 3, 2020- January 15, 2021.
- For the week of January 15, the number of patients tested for the COVID-19 (269,593) was down by more than 56,000 from the prior week, and the number of health center patients with confirmed infection (39,221) was substantially lower than its peak recorded level (55,163) as of January 8th.
- Community health centers have tested more than 7.9 million for COVID-19 since April 2020 and total of 1,016,684 health center patients and 36,358 staff members have tested positive for the virus, accounting for 4.3 percent of cases nationally, or one in 23 of all U.S. cases.
- Patients reported as racial and ethnic minorities, particularly Hispanic/Latino patients, accounted disproportionately for patients who tested positive, both this week and consistently over the nine months of survey data.
- In January, HRSA began reporting on COVID-19 vaccines. More than 253,000 community health center patients and staff members have received their first or second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Two in three (65 percent) responding health centers reported that vaccine deployment was challenged by supply constraints this current reporting period.
- With weekly health center visits consistently below average levels, the pandemic is taking an ongoing financial toll on health centers. Cumulative patient revenue losses are estimated at $4.5 billion, or 14.2 percent of total health center revenue reported nationally in 2019.
As the nation continues to struggle with the pandemic, these findings underscore the need for health center COVID-19 relief funding to expand access to care, COVID-19 testing capabilities, and vaccine distribution.
The data note was authored by Jessica Sharac, James Hernandez, Maria Velasquez, Feygele Jacobs, Peter Shin