Dataset Information

The Unequal Burden of COVID-19 Deaths in Counties With High Proportions of Black and Hispanic Residents.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Understanding the current burden of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) deaths in vulnerable populations will help inform efforts by policymakers to address disparities in COVID-19 outcomes.

Objective

The objective of this study was to examine the association between COVID-19 deaths and the county-level proportions of non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic residents.

Research design and methods

A retrospective study using COVID-19 mortality data from USA Facts linked to data from the US Census Bureau, the Health Resources & Services Administration Area Health Resources file, and the US Census Bureau. Negative binomial regression was used to estimate the association between the total county COVID-19 deaths during consecutive 30-day intervals and the proportion of non-Hispanic Blacks and Hispanic residents after adjusting for resident demographics, comorbidity burden, rurality, social determinants of health, and health care resources.

Results

In April, counties (n=179) with >40% Blacks had 6-fold higher death rates than counties (n=1521) with <2% Blacks [incident rate ratio (IRR)=6.58, 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.29-13.2, P<0.001]. These counties had higher death rates until October, but were no different than referent counties in November. In April, death rates in counties with >40% Hispanic residents were similar to death rates in counties with <2% Hispanic residents. Death rates in these counties peaked in August (IRR=3.14, 95% CI: 1.69-5.82, P<0.001) but were also no different than referent counties in November. These effects were robust after adjusting for county-level characteristics. Before August, death rates differed little by insurance status, but since then, counties with >15% uninsurance rates had up to 2-fold higher mortality rates (IRR=1.97, 95% CI: 1.19-3.27, P<0.001) than counties with <5% uninsurance rates.

Conclusion

Counties with high concentrations of non-Hispanic Blacks were disproportionately affected by COVID-19 throughout most of the pandemic, but other social determinants of health such as health insurance are now playing a more prominent role than race and ethnicity.

SUBMITTER: Glance LG

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8132563 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:BackgroundStructural racism has driven and continues to drive policies that create the social, economic, and community factors resulting in residential segregation, lack of access to adequate healthcare, and lack of employment opportunities that would allow economic mobility. This results in overall poorer population health for minoritized people. In 2020, Black and Hispanic/Latinx communities throughout the United States, including the state of Illinois, experienced disproportionately high rates of COVID-19 cases and deaths. Public health officials in Illinois implemented targeted programs at state and local levels to increase intervention access and reduce disparities.MethodsTo quantify how disparities in COVID outcomes evolved through the epidemic, data on SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic tests, COVID-19 cases, and COVID-19 deaths were obtained from the Illinois National Electronic Disease Surveillance System for the period from March 1 to December 31, 2020. Relative risks of COVID-19 cases and deaths were calculated for Black and Hispanic/Latinx vs. White residents, stratified by age group and epidemic interval. Deaths attributable to racial/ethnic disparities in incidence and case fatality were estimated with counterfactual simulations.ResultsDisparities in case and death rates became less drastic after May 2020, but did not disappear, and were more pronounced at younger ages. From March to May of 2020, the risk of a COVID-19 case for Black and Hispanic/Latinx populations was more than twice that of Whites across all age groups. The relative risk of COVID-19 death reached above 10 for Black and Hispanic/Latinx individuals under 50 years of age compared to age-matched Whites in the early epidemic. In all Illinois counties, relative risk of a COVID-19 case was the same or significantly increased for minoritized populations compared to the White population. 79.3 and 86.7% of disparities in deaths among Black and Hispanic/Latinx populations, respectively, were attributable to differences in age-adjusted incidence compared to White populations rather than differences in case fatality ratios.ConclusionsRacial and ethnic disparities in the COVID-19 pandemic are products of society, not biology. Considering age and geography in addition to race/ethnicity can help to identify the structural factors driving poorer outcomes for certain groups. Studies and policies aimed at reducing inequalities in disease exposure may reduce disparities in mortality more than those focused on drivers of case fatality.