Development of a Synthetic Index of Social Vulnerability to COVID-19 in the City of Zaragoza (Spain)

The impacts of COVID-19 are not uniformly distributed, but are closely related to the vulnerability of any given society. This study characterises social vulnerability to COVID-19 in the city of Zaragoza; in other words, the predisposition of certain groups to suffer greater impacts. A new vulnerability index (COVID-19 SVI) was created for this purpose, and its factors (population density, age, female population, foreign population, overcrowding, education level and income level) were weighted by the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) technique through a survey of 404 people from different professional profiles (health care, geography, social work and others). The most valued factors were population density, overcrowding and age, with no differences in criteria by professional profile. By mapping the results at different scales (district, basic health area, census section and block), spatial distribution patterns were identified and the suitability of the scales for analysis compared, revealing the census section as the best option. The use of COVID-19 SVI in social and public health policies can provide essential support to management and decision-making adapted to different situations in the short, medium and long term.