Closed but Not Protected: Excess Deaths Among the Amish and Mennonites During the COVID-19 Pandemic [Scholarly Article - Journal of Religion and Health, June 2021]

Title:

Closed but Not Protected: Excess Deaths Among the Amish and Mennonites During the COVID-19 Pandemic

 

Authors:

Rachel E Stein, Katie E Corcoran, Corey J Colyer, Annette M Mackay & Sara K Guthrie

Department of Sociology and Anthropology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA 

 

Published:

Journal of Religion and Health, 11 June 2021

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10943-021-01307-5

 

Abstract:

“Excess deaths” is a means to estimate the lethality of COVID-19 (directly and indirectly). Assessing “excess death” in closed religious communities provides information on how COVID-19 impacted these communities. We use obituary information published in an Amish/Mennonite newspaper to examine excess death among the Amish/Mennonites in 2020. Our results indicate the Amish/Mennonite excess death rates are similar to the national trends in the USA. The excess death rate for Amish/Mennonites spiked with a 125% increase in November 2020. The impact of COVID-19 on this closed religious community highlights the need to consider religion to stop the spread of COVID-19.