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Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

Could limited access to medical care worsen the coronavirus crisis in rural areas?

By Seth Smalley
YES

Rural areas are less well-armed against health emergencies, as is clear as the coronavirus continues to spread through the U.S. In 2020, a systematic review of the effects of the pandemic in rural areas found a “significant disparity in terms of the distribution of professional resources” between urban and rural areas. It cited healthcare infrastructure, physicians and intensive-care unit availability as a few such resources.

An April KFF analysis found rural areas had on average 1.7 ICU beds per 10,000 people, versus 2.8 per 10,000 people in urban areas. Rural residents, older and sicker on average, are both more likely to be hospitalized and to require ICU beds. For these reasons, the analysis notes, rural communities' healthcare systems are more likely to be strained during coronavirus outbreaks.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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