Low-income and socially disadvantaged residents of the United States have experienced severe COVID-19 three times more. This conclusion was reached by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH). The findings of the respective study were published in the Annals of Internal Medicine medical journal.

Researchers analyzed data from 3,700 people who were re-infected with COVID-19 during the Omicron strain, from October 2021 to November 2023. The study included patients from 33 US states. And the findings showed that those who faced financial or social difficulties, as well as those living in densely populated disadvantaged areas, suffered the most from the coronavirus.

Senior author Elizabeth Karlson said that despite the end of this pandemic, many patients are still suffering from its effects. She stressed the importance of taking socioeconomic factors into account when planning measures to combat the future consequences of COVID-19.

In late July, researchers at the University of Nottingham had reported that this pandemic can negatively affect the brain even in people who have not been infected with the coronavirus.