Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities Related to COVID-19

Leo Lopez, Louis H. Hart, Mitchell H. Katz

2021JAMA718 citationsDOI

Abstract

Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities Related to COVID-19 One of the most disturbing aspects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in the US is the disproportionate harm that it has caused to historically marginalized groups.Black, Hispanic, and Asian people have substantially higher rates of infection, hospitalization, and death compared with White people. 1,2According to an analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Epic Health Research Network, based on data from the Epic health record system for 7 million Black patients, 5.1 million Hispanic patients, 1.4 million Asian patients, and 34.1 million White patients, as of July 20, 2020, the hospitalization rates and death rates per 10 000, respectively, were 24.6 and 5.6 for Black patients, 30.4 and 5.6 for Hispanic patients, 15.9 and 4.3 for Asian patients, and 7.4 and 2.3 for White patients. 2American Indian persons living in the US also have been disproportionately affected by

Topics & Concepts

MedicineCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)Ethnic group2019-20 coronavirus outbreakSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)BetacoronavirusHealth equityCoronavirus InfectionsPandemicMEDLINEVirologyFamily medicineInternal medicinePublic healthPathologyDiseaseOutbreakLawSociologyAnthropologyInfectious disease (medical specialty)Political scienceCOVID-19 and healthcare impactsFood Security and Health in Diverse PopulationsGlobal Health Workforce Issues