Hoosier Times, March 2021
During the first several months of the pandemic, a devastating fact became clear: Black Hoosiers were becoming sick and dying of COVID-19 at a disproportionate rate.
That’s no longer the case.
As the state marched toward last fall’s devastating surge, something changed: White Hoosiers began contracting and dying of COVID-19 at a higher rate than Black residents, according to an IndyStar analysis. During the first six months of the pandemic, the virus ran rampant in communities of color. At the peak of the spring surge in April, there were roughly 38 cases for every 10,000 Black residents in the state, compared to 15 per 10,000 white residents.
Experts say the trends here mimic what many states across the country have seen: The spring surge was an urban phenomenon that hit the most diverse areas of the country, and the fall surge, which was far greater, was largely defined by spread among white, rural residents.
