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Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the geospatial distribution of COVID-19 vaccination rates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples across Local Government Areas in Australia., Methods: We described the patterns of COVID-19 vaccination across jurisdictions, identified clusters with different levels of vaccination uptake, and assessed the relationship between contextual factors and vaccination (spatial error model, spatial lag model, and geographic weighted regression)., Results: The proportion of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population that received at least two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine by the last week of June 2022 ranged from 62.9% to 97.5% across Local Government Areas. The proportion of the overall population who is Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander (β = 0.280, standard deviation [SD] = 1.92), proportion of the total labour force employed (β =0.286, SD = 0.98), and proportion of individuals who speak an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander language (β =0.215, SD = 0.15) had, on average, the strongest effects on COVID-19 vaccination rates., Conclusion: Findings underscore the extent to which area-level demographic influence the COVID-19 vaccination for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians., Implications for Public Health: Findings can inform vaccination strategies that prioritise geographic areas with higher vulnerability to promote equity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study aimed to estimate the number of excess deaths among Indigenous Peoples associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and to assess the disparities in excess mortality between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Brazilians. A time series analysis of weekly mortality data including all deaths from January 2015 to December 2020 was conducted. The number of expected deaths for 2020 was estimated using an over-dispersed Poisson model that accounts for demographic changes, temporal trends, and seasonal effects in mortality. Weekly excess deaths were calculated as the difference between the number of observed deaths and the expected deaths. Regional differences in Indigenous mortality were investigated. A significant increase in Indigenous mortality was observed from April 1 to December 31, 2020. An estimated 1149 (95% CI 1018-1281) excess deaths was found among Indigenous Brazilians in 2020, representing a 34.8% increase from the expected deaths for this population. The overall increase in non-Indigenous mortality was 18.1%. The Indigenous population living in the Brazilian Amazon area was the earliest-affected Indigenous group, with one of the highest proportional increases in mortality. Disparities in excess mortality revealed a disproportionate burden of COVID-19 among Indigenous Brazilians compared to their non-Indigenous counterparts. Findings highlight the importance of implementing an effective emergency plan that addresses the increased vulnerability of Indigenous Peoples to COVID-19., (© 2021. W. Montague Cobb-NMA Health Institute.)