Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and OBGYN workforce distribution on vaccine deployment and predicting women's healthcare shortages

Purpose

Obstetricians and gynecologists, who serve a vital role in providing women’s healthcare in the United States, are at risk of COVID-19 exposure via asymptomatic patients and deliveries. COVID-19 may lead to OB/GYNs, particularly those over the age of 60, to retire at an earlier rate. While the future impact is unknown, this loss of physicians can exacerbate pre-existing barriers in women’s access to healthcare. This study analyzes state-level geographical distribution of COVID-19 cases and age distribution of OB/GYNs to project which U.S. regions experience a more significant COVID-19 patient burden and provides a guide for vaccine distribution in the OB/GYN workforce.

Visualization

Data dictionary

• generate.R: R script to generate a U.S. bubble choropleth.
• covid-confirmed.csv:
• aamc-state-data.csv:
• state_sex.csv:
• usa_lat_long.csv:

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