From 2021 to 2023, American Indian and Alaska Natives (AIANs) reported higher rates of COVID-19 and long COVID than their non-AIAN counterparts, according to a non–peer-reviewed study published on the Research Square preprint platform.

Led by a researcher from the US National Bureau of Economic Research, the study team surveyed more than 20,000 adult respondents, including public-use files (datasets stripped of identifying information) and an oversample of AIANs, to the California Health Interview Survey from 2021 to 2023.

The goal was to estimate associations between demographic, socioeconomic, and health characteristics and COVID-19 infection, long-COVID symptoms, vaccination status, testing behavior, food insecurity, job loss, and fewer work hours.

By the end of 2020, “AIAN communities had approximately 1.6 times the number of confirmed cases, 2.4 times the number of hospitalizations, and twice the mortality rates associated with COVID-19 relative to the U.S. population overall,” the authors noted.

About 47% of AIAN respondents reported having COVID-19, and 40% said they had long COVID, compared with 30% among non-AIAN adults. Obesity and poverty were risk factors for both infection and long COVID. 

Lower vaccination rates among rural AIAN respondents further highlight structural barriers to preventive care that have been documented in previous studies, including geographic isolation, limited health care infrastructure, and historical mistrust of health institutions.

AIAN adults were less likely to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 than their non-AIAN peers. Vaccination was tied to lower odds of job loss and reductions in hours or income in only public-use files, while persistent symptoms were linked to severe food insecurity and job loss.

“Lower vaccination rates among rural AIAN respondents further highlight structural barriers to preventive care that have been documented in previous studies, including geographic isolation, limited health care infrastructure, and historical mistrust of health institutions,” the researchers wrote.

Long-COVID symptoms such as fatigue can reduce work capacity and limit workers’ ability to maintain employment. “These effects may be particularly consequential for workers in occupations requiring in-person interaction or physical labor, which are more common in some AIAN communities and may also increase exposure to infectious disease,” the authors wrote. 

“As a result, persistent health effects associated with COVID-19 may reinforce existing economic vulnerabilities in communities that already experience higher rates of poverty and limited access to health care resources,” they added.

Idaho’s Department of Health and Welfare (DHW) said it’s investigating a spate of illnesses tied to raw, or unpasteurized, milk. Since May 15, department officials said almost 60 people have been identified as having illnesses after drinking raw milk, and at least 45 of those people tested positive for campylobacteriosis, a bacterial infection.

Most of the sickened people reported getting raw milk from two different milking operations, one in northern Idaho and one in southern Idaho. 

“Both milking operations are working in collaboration with DHW and local public health agencies to identify and fix any potential sources of contamination,” DHW said. 

Campylobacteriosis can appear  two to five days after exposure. Symptoms include diarrhea (sometimes bloody), fever, stomach cramps, nausea, and vomiting. Infections can be more severe in young children, the elderly, and those who are immunocompromised, but most people recover within one week of symptom onset.