Rural rate for COVID 19 could be higher for these reasons

Rural health systems are preparing for a  surge in patients suffering from COVID-19 that could overwhelm small and underfunded hospitals.

Experts say they are concerned that the rate of severe and critical cases could be higher than in larger cities due to certain factors.

Rural residents tend to be older, are more likely to have underlying conditions like hypertension and heart disease that put them at greater risk of serious symptoms, and in some regions they are more likely to smoke than are residents of urban areas.

The chronic shortage of personal protective gear and testing kits is exacerbated in areas with smaller populations. A major health system in a big city might order a million masks from a manufacturer but that manufacturer is less likely to return calls from a smaller health care system that would only order 15,000 or 20,000 units.



https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/491032-rural-america-braces-for-coronavirus

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