Blacks, Latinos and Native Americans Disproportionately Killed by Covid-19 Last Year, Study Finds

Covid-19 killed a disproportionate number of blacks, Latinos and Native Americans in the country last year and exacerbated health disparities between groups, a new study finds.

An estimated 477,200 more people died from Covid-19 and other reasons from March to December 2020 compared to the same period in 2019, according to a study by researchers at the National Cancer Institute published Monday in Annals of Internal Medicine.

The overall deaths of black, Latino and Native American men and women were two to three times higher than those of white and Asian men and women during the estimated period when the population per 100,000 was taken into account, according to the study.

Of the 477,200 “excess deaths” last year, 351,400 people – or about 74% – died from Covid as an underlying cause, the researchers said. The study said black, Latino and Native American Covid-related deaths were “at least twice as high” as those of their white counterparts.

The disparities were similar when the 61,200 deaths that were not attributed to Covid were taken into account, according to the study. Deaths among blacks and Native Americans were three to four times higher, and Latino deaths were nearly twice as high as those among white populations, according to the study.

Meredith Shiels, a National Cancer Institute researcher who led the study, said in an email Tuesday that the pandemic’s disproportionate effects on black, Latin American and Native American communities underscore the urgency of reducing “inequities. long-standing structural “.

“These results warn us that there is likely to be a serious widening of racial / ethnic disparities in all-cause mortality as longer-term data becomes available,” she said. “Although vaccination rates accelerated rapidly in the spring of 2021, racial / ethnic inequalities continue and will exacerbate disparities in mortality if not addressed with urgency and cultural competence, as has been done by tribal communities. “

Blacks, Latinos and Native Americans were also dying at higher rates last year due to medical conditions like diabetes, heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease, although there were increases in all groups, according to the study.

“While the racial / ethnic differences in COVID-19 death rates have been profound, focusing solely on deaths from COVID-19 may underestimate the extent of the racial / ethnic disparities induced by the pandemic,” the researchers said.

A total of 2.88 million people died during the period analyzed by the study last year. The researchers collected data on death certificates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and population estimates from the Census Bureau to reach their conclusions.

The study listed structural inequalities as factors that led to the pandemic’s negative effects on many communities of color.

“Racial / ethnic disparities in the risk of COVID-19, hospitalization and death have been attributed to structural and social determinants of health with established and deep roots in racism,” the study says.

The study mentioned specific social barriers that contributed to the disparities.

“Blacks and Latinos are more likely to be occupationally exposed to COVID-19 than whites; they are also more likely to live in multigenerational households and more densely populated neighborhoods and have less access to health care and private transportation, ”the researchers said.

“Alaska Native / Native reservation-based communities are at increased risk of infection due to a lack of chronically underfunded infrastructure and health facilities,” they said. “Equitable distribution of vaccines is necessary to prevent a further exacerbation of racial / ethnic disparities in risk and mortality from COVID-19. “

Reluctance to immunize among black and Latino communities was also an obstacle during last year’s deployment, officials said.