1. Pathways to Immunity: Patterns of Excess Death Across the United States and Within Closed Religious Communities.
- Author
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Stein, Rachel E., Colyer, Corey J., Corcoran, Katie E., and Mackay, Annette M.
- Subjects
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MORTALITY , *AMISH , *MEDICAL protocols , *IMMUNIZATION , *DOCUMENTATION , *HEALTH attitudes , *RESEARCH funding , *MEDICAL care , *AT-risk people , *CELLULAR signal transduction , *COMMUNITIES , *COVID-19 vaccines , *DESCRIPTIVE statistics , *RELIGION , *VACCINE hesitancy , *PUBLIC health , *HEALTH promotion , *COMPARATIVE studies , *IMMUNITY , *COVID-19 pandemic - Abstract
Public health officials promoted COVID-19 vaccines to limit burdens placed on the U.S. healthcare system and end the pandemic. People in some closed religious communities refused to vaccinate and likely acquired temporary immunity through infection. This paper compares the death rates in Amish, Old Order Mennonites, and conservative Mennonite groups to a rate estimated for the U.S. population. Approximately two-thirds of the U.S. population was immunized against COVID-19, while few in the Amish/Mennonite community were. We find divergent patterns. Once vaccines became available, excess deaths declined in the general population and remained elevated among Amish and Mennonites. Vaccination campaigns must consider and value the cultural beliefs of closed religious communities to be effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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