Are Some Ethnic Groups Really Getting Hit Harder by COVID-19—or Is It More Complicated Than That?

It’s been observed in numerous studies (some reported on by JUCM News) that some ethnic groups have fared better than others throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The issue of why that could be is a bit more complex, although a study just published by JAMA Network Open might suggest some answers. First, the data confirm the fact that African American, Hispanic, and Asian-American individuals have been more likely to test positive for and to be admitted to the ICU with COVID-19 than White Americans. The researchers also found,  however, that “socioeconomic disparity and clinical care quality were associated with COVID-19 mortality and incidence in racial and ethnic minority groups.” The findings are based on a systematic search of PubMed, medRxiv, Embase, and the World Health Organization COVID-19 databases from January 1, 2020 to January 6, 2021 and reflect more than 4.3 million patients from 68 studies. The message for urgent care providers who practice areas in which the ethnic groups that have suffered the consequences of the pandemic disproportionately is to keep promoting your capability to vaccinate and test. On a broader note, JUCM published a piece on the issue of health inequities from a specifically urgent care perspective. You can read The Challenge of Inequity in Urgent Care Medicine: A Call to Action in our archive right now.