The San Francisco Bay Area fared higher through the COVID-19 pandemic than many different largely populated areas, with a cumulative COVID-19 death rate among the lowest of the nation’s most populous counties, in response to a Los Angeles Times evaluation.

Of the nation’s 88 counties with a inhabitants better than 750,000 individuals, San Francisco and neighboring Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa and San Mateo counties had COVID death charges among the lowest in the nation.

The nine-county area of the Bay Area reported 10,093 COVID-19 deaths by way of March, as tallied by Johns Hopkins University earlier than it ended its complete depend. That interprets to a cumulative rate of 130 deaths for each 100,000 residents. That’s 37% of Los Angeles County’s death rate of 354 deaths per 100,000 residents (the Twenty seventh-highest cumulative rate) and one-quarter of New York City’s cumulative rate of 540 deaths for each 100,000 residents.

Each of New York City’s 5 boroughs is technically its personal county. If New York City have been thought of to be a single county, it will have the worst COVID-19 death rate among the nation’s counties with greater than 750,000 residents.

Other extremely populated counties with death charges similar to the Bay Area’s embrace Honolulu County in Hawaii and Wake County in North Carolina, which is house to Raleigh, the state capital.

Even when the COVID death charges are adjusted for variations in the age distribution of the inhabitants, San Francisco and Santa Clara County — Northern California’s most populous county — nonetheless had a comparatively low rate in contrast with the nation’s two largest metropolitan areas.

A Times evaluation, calculated from knowledge launched by native well being officers and adjusted for age, reveals San Francisco had one-third the death rate of L.A. County and roughly one-fourth that of New York City’s. Santa Clara County had an age-adjusted death rate about 40% of L.A. County’s and roughly 30% of New York City’s.

Some specialists warning in opposition to evaluating jurisdictions, given the vast variations in the buildings of metropolitan areas. New York City was arguably fairly weak due to its inhabitants density — the variety of individuals residing per sq. mile — and presumably the best way individuals’s lives are structured there, which can have allowed the coronavirus to unfold unchecked earlier than stay-at-home orders went into impact.

In addition, the colder climate in New York City may’ve contributed to the fast unfold of the virus in indoor public settings.

Los Angeles County had its personal vulnerabilities, with extra overcrowded properties than another massive U.S. county, a Times evaluation revealed final 12 months discovered. Many individuals couldn’t make money working from home and have become contaminated in crowded office settings akin to factories.

By distinction, the Bay Area most likely had some benefits, together with the flexibility of many to make money working from home. The area’s poverty rate can be decrease than L.A.’s: The San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro space has 7.3% of residents residing beneath the poverty line, and the San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley metro space has 9.2% residing beneath the poverty line. In Los Angeles County, 13.9% reside beneath the poverty line, and in New York City, 18.3% do.

Scientists can examine jurisdictions in different methods, together with assessing the variations in “all-cause excess mortality” — the variety of deaths from all causes which can be above what can be anticipated if there weren’t a pandemic. This would come with COVID-19 deaths plus these indirectly attributable to COVID, akin to power well being issues that worsened through the pandemic.

In a report revealed in the journal Public Health Reports, officers with the San Francisco Department of Public Health, together with co-authors from UC San Francisco and UC Berkeley, calculated the surplus all-cause mortality rate in San Francisco in 2020, in addition to statewide.

They discovered that San Francisco’s extra mortality rate was half the state’s whole. In 2020, there was an 8% improve in deaths from all causes in San Francisco in contrast with the prior 12 months. By distinction, throughout all of California, there was a 16% improve.

In that report, the authors touted insurance policies issued early in the pandemic they are saying helped decrease COVID’s influence on San Francisco, together with the nation’s first regional stay-at-home order, an motion epidemiologists mentioned that, as a result of it was applied early, most likely helped dramatically gradual transmission of the coronavirus.

They additionally famous the area’s long-lasting masks mandate, which was in place for almost two years, save for a quick hole earlier than the Delta variant emerged in California in summer time 2021.

Importantly, Bay Area residents gave the impression to be largely agreeable with the well being orders. Adherence to masks use, as an illustration, seemed to be fairly excessive in contrast with different components of the state and nation.

Vaccination charges have been additionally excessive in the area. By the tip of the nationwide pandemic emergency on May 10, 96% of seniors in the Bay Area had accomplished their major vaccination sequence, in contrast with 89% of Los Angeles County seniors and 91% of New York City seniors.

With every iteration of latest booster photographs, the Bay Area widened its relative lead among seniors. With the primary spherical of boosters, given in late 2021, 86% of Bay Area seniors bought one, in contrast with 75% in L.A. County and 60% in New York City.

And for the primary up to date booster shot, made accessible in September 2022, 63% of the Bay Area’s seniors bought one, in contrast with 46% of seniors in L.A. County and 32% in New York City.