National analysis of COVID-19 and older emergency physicians

Given the 2.5-fold difference in the proportion of older EPs across states (16.0% to 40.6%), and in light of reported personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages among major U.S. distributors [6], supply chain prioritization toward EPs in higher-risk states warrants consideration, especially as cases continue to surge. Study limitations include not controlling for other individual factors associated with increased COVID-19 severity (e.g., obesity, Black race, Hispanic ethnicity) [9,10], as well as using state-level data, which precludes insights into risk differences by, for example, rural/urban status. [...]we acknowledge that utilizing cumulative case volumes does not account for differences in the present rate of COVID-19 spread between states (e.g., rate of COVID-19 spread and confirmed case count in New York have since stabilized from March/April 2020) [1]. [...]we understand that COVID-19 infection among younger clinicians is a serious problem.