A qualitative analysis of the effects of the COVID-19 response on low-income residents in Cameron County, Texas: Lessons for future pandemic response

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had dramatic impacts throughout the United States (US). In Cameron County, Texas, along the Texas-Mexico border, the impacts of the virus were felt more severely than in most places in the US. Residents of the county, which has high rates of poverty, many multigenerational households, high levels of underlying conditions, and an uninsured population of almost 30 percent, were not only poised to be affected by the virus but also by the response policies put in place to contain it. This study seeks to add to the literature by examining the lived experiences of low-income individuals in Cameron County, Texas, as it relates to the COVID-19 response and their experiences with the response. To do this, we asked: How did the COVID-19 response affect low-income residents in Cameron County, Texas?