According to the study published in the Lancet Regional Health, wide disparities in healthcare coverage, particularly in rural areas, hampered vaccination efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the study, Dr. Diego Cuadros, an epidemiologist from the University of Cincinnati, investigated the disparities in vaccination rates across 2,417 U.S. counties.

The findings of his study showed that the availability of healthcare resources influences vaccine coverage. He revealed that barriers to healthcare access include cost, insurance coverage, and transportation. Dr. Cuadros concluded that these disruptions were not uniform across the United States, as many counties, especially those in rural areas, experienced significant disruptions in health care, including the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine itself.

The analysis also revealed that people in underserved communities were as much as 34% less likely to be vaccinated against COVID-19. These included counties in Nevada, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska where vaccination rates were lowest. 

(Source: https://theprint.in/health/covid-19-vaccines-lag-in-rural-underdeveloped-areas-study/1267241/)