A study published by Regenstrief Institute in Indianapolis shows that Black and rural communities were disproportionately affected by the pandemic.
The study is largest of its kind, taking data from 1.8 million Hoosiers tested for COVID-19 between March 2020 and December 2020.
Brian Dixon is a research scientist at the Regenstrief Institute and led the study. He said in terms of deaths rural areas were hit the hardest, while in terms of hospitalizations, Black and brown Hoosiers were most affected.
“And we’re seeing now, other communities, particularly rural communities where there isn’t a lot of uptake in the vaccine be hit hard by the delta variant,” Dixon said.
According to the study, rural areas saw about 172 COVID-19 deaths per capita while urban areas saw nearly 157.
Black Indiana residents were hospitalized at a rate of about 1,107 per 100,000 compared to white resident’s rate of about 557 per 100,000.
This story has been corrected to reflect the correct ratios of hospitalizations and deaths.