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Public Protests and the Risk of Novel Coronavirus Disease Hospitalizations: A County-Level Analysis from California

Author

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  • Linh N. Bui

    (Department of Nursing, School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Engineering, California State University, Bakersfield, CA 93311, USA
    Institute for Advancing Health Equity, Sutter Health, Palo Alto, CA 94301, USA)

  • Rachel L. Berkowitz

    (Institute for Advancing Health Equity, Sutter Health, Palo Alto, CA 94301, USA
    Department of Public Health and Recreation, College of Health and Human Sciences, San José State University, San Jose, CA 95192, USA)

  • Wendy Jilek

    (Health Services Advisory Group, Phoenix, AZ 85016, USA
    Center for Health Systems Research, Sutter Health, Walnut Creek, CA 94596, USA)

  • Andrew J. Bordner

    (Design & Innovation, Sutter Health, San Carlos, CA 94070, USA)

  • Kristen M. J. Azar

    (Institute for Advancing Health Equity, Sutter Health, Palo Alto, CA 94301, USA
    Center for Health Systems Research, Sutter Health, Walnut Creek, CA 94596, USA
    Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA)

  • Alice Pressman

    (Institute for Advancing Health Equity, Sutter Health, Palo Alto, CA 94301, USA
    Center for Health Systems Research, Sutter Health, Walnut Creek, CA 94596, USA)

  • Robert J. Romanelli

    (Institute for Advancing Health Equity, Sutter Health, Palo Alto, CA 94301, USA
    Center for Health Systems Research, Sutter Health, Walnut Creek, CA 94596, USA)

Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between public protests and county-level, novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) hospitalization rates across California. Publicly available data were included in the analysis from 55 of 58 California state counties (29 March–14 October 2020). Mixed-effects negative binomial regression models were used to examine the relationship between daily county-level COVID-19 hospitalizations and two main exposure variables: any vs. no protests and 1 or >1 protest vs. no protests on a given county-day. COVID-19 hospitalizations were used as a proxy for viral transmission since such rates are less sensitive to temporal changes in testing access/availability. Models included covariates for daily county mobility, county-level characteristics, and time trends. Models also included a county-population offset and a two-week lag for the association between exposure and outcome. No significant associations were observed between protest exposures and COVID-19 hospitalization rates among the 55 counties. We did not find evidence to suggest that public protests were associated with COVID-19 hospitalization within California counties. These findings support the notion that protesting during a pandemic may be safe, ostensibly, so long as evidence-based precautionary measures are taken.

Suggested Citation

  • Linh N. Bui & Rachel L. Berkowitz & Wendy Jilek & Andrew J. Bordner & Kristen M. J. Azar & Alice Pressman & Robert J. Romanelli, 2021. "Public Protests and the Risk of Novel Coronavirus Disease Hospitalizations: A County-Level Analysis from California," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(18), pages 1-15, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:18:p:9481-:d:631563
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Dave, Dhaval M. & Friedson, Andrew I. & Matsuzawa, Kyutaro & Sabia, Joseph J. & Safford, Samuel, 2020. "Black Lives Matter Protests, Social Distancing, and COVID-19," IZA Discussion Papers 13388, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
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