Analysis of COVID-19 Case Demographics and Disease Outcomes in Gary, Indiana

Maryam Sabir, Yazan Al-Tarshan, Cameron Snapp, Martin Brown, Roland Walker, Amy Han and Tatiana Kostrominova ()
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Maryam Sabir: Northwest Campus, Indiana University School of Medicine, Gary, IN 46408, USA
Yazan Al-Tarshan: Northwest Campus, Indiana University School of Medicine, Gary, IN 46408, USA
Cameron Snapp: Northwest Campus, Indiana University School of Medicine, Gary, IN 46408, USA
Martin Brown: Gary Health Department, Gary, IN 46402, USA
Roland Walker: Gary Health Department, Gary, IN 46402, USA
Amy Han: Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
Tatiana Kostrominova: Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 18, 1-12

Abstract: Background: The COVID-19 pandemic further exposed the prevalence of existing health disparities in Black communities in the U.S. The current study evaluates COVID-19 data collected in Gary, Indiana, from June 2020 to June 2021. We hypothesized that the number of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths were influenced by race and income. Methods: In collaboration with the Gary Health Department (GHD), we analyzed demographic data on COVID-19-positive cases. Results: Compared to Gary’s non-Black population, age- and population-adjusted rates of hospitalizations and deaths in the Black population were 3-fold ( p < 0.0001) and 2-fold ( p < 0.05) higher, respectively. This is despite a higher infection rate ( p < 0.0001) in the non-Black population. The median household income of a zip code was negatively correlated with COVID-19 hospitalizations (R 2 = 0.6345, p = 0.03), but did not correlate with infections and deaths. Conclusions: The current study demonstrates clear health disparities of income and race in the context of COVID-19-related infections and outcomes in the city of Gary. Indiana University School of Medicine Northwest and GHD officials can collaborate to utilize these data for the reallocation of resources and health education efforts in Gary’s highly populated, low-income, and predominantly Black neighborhoods. It should also prompt further investigation into national health resource allocation.

Keywords: health disparities; COVID-19; Black population; income inequality; medically underserved community (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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