Ethnic minorities disproportionately affected by coronavirus – The Lancet

(Reuters) – Ethnic minority groups are disproportionately affected by the novel coronavirus, with blacks and Asians at increased risk of COVID-19 infection compared to whites, according to an analysis published in the medical journal The Lancet bit.ly/3kol5kR.

About 18.7 million patients from 50 studies were included to establish the results, according to the analysis. Forty-two of these studies were from the United States and eight from the United Kingdom.

“Asians may be at greater risk of admission and death to the ITU (Intensive Therapy Unit),” the analysis reads.

“These findings are of crucial public health importance to inform interventions aimed at reducing morbidity and mortality among ethnic minority groups,” he added.

Minority ethnic groups were more likely to be employed as essential workers, and therefore less able to work from home, according to the study. As a result, they continued to have contact with others through work or commuting, thus being more vulnerable to infection.

They are also more likely to have lower socioeconomic status, which may increase the likelihood of living in overcrowded households or in housing with shared facilities, according to the results.

Blacks are twice as likely to be infected with COVID-19 as whites, and people of Asian descent are one and a half times more likely, researchers say.

The study was conducted as a review and meta-analysis to explore the relationship between ethnicity and clinical outcomes of COVID-19.

About half of the articles used in the review were published in peer-reviewed journals and the rest were preliminary results.