Table 3.
Characteristics of Veteransa in the Veterans Affairs Science and Health Initiative to Combat Infectious and Emerging Life-threatening Diseases (VA SHIELD) and the VA Healthcare System
| Characteristic | VA SHIELD (n = 18 375) | VA National (n = 8 853 871) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | (%) | No. | (%) | |
| Age, y | ||||
| 18–29 | 420 | (2.3) | 290 056 | (3.3) |
| 30–39 | 2093 | (11.4) | 943 001 | (10.7) |
| 40–49 | 2294 | (12.5) | 866 377 | (9.8) |
| 50–59 | 3480 | (18.9) | 1 162 250 | (13.1) |
| 60–69 | 4060 | (22.1) | 1 624 904 | (18.4) |
| 70–79 | 4546 | (24.7) | 2 365 648 | (26.7) |
| 80–89 | 1152 | (6.3) | 1 105 781 | (12.5) |
| ≥90 | 325 | (1.8) | 484 579 | (5.5) |
| Unknown | 5 | (0.0) | 11 275 | (0.1) |
| Sex | ||||
| Male | 15 168 | (82.5) | 7 777 111 | (87.8) |
| Female | 3202 | (17.4) | 1 074 177 | (12.1) |
| Unknown | 5 | (0.0) | 2583 | (0.0) |
| Race/ethnicity | ||||
| White | 9725 | (52.9) | 5 575 759 | (67.7) |
| Black or African American | 4605 | (25.1) | 1 351 620 | (15.7) |
| Hispanic or Latino | 1579 | (8.6) | 546 528 | (1.0) |
| Asian | 153 | (0.8) | 102 304 | (0.9) |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander | 134 | (0.7) | 71 758 | (1.2) |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 133 | (0.7) | 68 224 | (0.8) |
| Unknown | 2046 | (11.1) | 1 137 678 | (12.8) |
| Geographic locationb | ||||
| Northeast | 741 | (4.0) | 1 111 941 | (12.6) |
| Midwest | 2780 | (15.1) | 1 664 906 | (18.8) |
| South | 11 763 | (64.0) | 3 836 567 | (43.3) |
| West | 2775 | (15.1) | 1 851 772 | (20.9) |
| Other | 316 | (1.7) | 388 685 | (4.4) |
| COVID-19 test result | ||||
| Ever tested positive | 16 125 | (87.8) | 447 085 | (5.0) |
| Never tested positive (recorded) | 2250 | (12.2) | 8 406 786 | (95.0) |
| COVID-19 vaccination statusc | ||||
| Vaccinated and never tested positive for COVID | 1434 | (7.8) | 3 656 140 | (41.3) |
| Vaccinated before COVID-19 infection (breakthrough infection) | 6921 | (37.7) | 171 249 | (1.9) |
| Vaccinated after COVID-19 infection | 3035 | (16.5) | 79 258 | (0.9) |
| No record of vaccination in VA EHR | 6564 | (35.7) | 4 808 767 | (54.3) |
| COVID-19 severity (for COVID-19 positive) | ||||
| Mild (did not require hospitalization) | 11 964 | (74.2) | 368 111 | (82.3) |
| Moderate (hospitalized but did not require ICU or ventilator) | 2780 | (17.2) | 56 103 | (12.5) |
| Severe (hospitalized and required ICU and/or ventilator) | 1405 | (8.7) | 23 091 | (5.2) |
| Died within 60 d of positive COVID-19 test | 797 | (4.9) | 14 595 | (3.3) |
Abbreviations: COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019; EHR, electronic health record; ICU, intensive care unit; SHIELD, Science and Health Initiative to Combat Infectious and Emerging Life-threatening Diseases; VA, Veterans Affairs.
Veterans for whom demographic and clinical information is available in the laboratory information management system as of 15 October 2022.
Geographic location is defined by United States (US) census region (https://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/maps-data/maps/reference/us_regdiv.pdf). The Northeast region includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The Midwest region includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. The South region includes Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. The West region includes Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. The final category, “other,” includes US territories or cases where the participant's zip code was unknown.
Vaccination status is retrieved from the VA EHR only and is recorded for the first injection of one of the vaccines available in the VA.