Black Hispanic individuals hardest hit by COVID-19
Higher death, hospitalization rates compared to non-white Hispanic individuals, variable by race

Date:
October 27, 2020
Source:
Boston Medical Center
Summary:
A new study shows the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on
Hispanic groups within the United States, with the most severe
outcomes, including death and intensive care, among Hispanic
Black individuals.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Results from a new study led by Boston Medical Center (BMC) demonstrate
the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Hispanic groups within the US,
with the most severe outcomes, including death and intensive care, among Hispanic Black individuals. Analyzing data from the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, researchers found differences between Hispanic
groups, with higher rates of hospitalization and increased risk of death
for Hispanic Black compared to Hispanic multiracial individuals. Published online in the Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, the results
highlight that Hispanic populations as a whole have worse COVID-19
outcomes compared to the Hispanic white population, demonstrating the need
for more accurate demographic data collection efforts in order to better address the disparities among Hispanic individuals impacted by COVID-19.


========================================================================== Results from previous COVID-19 research have shown that Latinx
populations, as a whole, have worse outcomes compared to other ethnic
groups. This study, the first to use a nationally representative
COVID-19 database, delves further into the data to investigate the
differential impact of COVID-19 on different racial groups within the
Hispanic community.

For this study, researchers analyzed data reported to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention between April 5 and May 18, 2020, with a
cohort of 78,323 individuals. They compared hospitalization, intensive
care unit admission, need for breathing support, and death rates
among Hispanic white, Hispanic Black, and Hispanic multiracial/other
groups. Next, they compared these results with the data on the above
criteria for non-Hispanic white individuals.

Hispanic Black individuals in the cohort had the highest rate of
comorbidities, at 51 percent, as well as hospitalizations, which were 45 percent. Hispanic/ multiracial individuals were more frequently admitted
to the intensive care unit (10 percent), had the highest incidence of
requiring breathing support through mechanical ventilation (10 percent)
and more frequent rates of death due to COVID-19 (16.1 percent). Overall, Hispanic groups fared worse than non- Hispanic white individuals. The
relative risk of death was 1.36, 1.72 and 1.68 times higher for Hispanic
white, Hispanic Black and Hispanic multiracial compared to non-Hispanic
white individuals.

"Our results clearly show that Hispanic individuals are more likely
to be hospitalized and die from COVID-19 infection than non-Hispanic individuals, with the worst outcomes among Hispanic Black individuals,"
said Sarah Kimball, MD, co-director of BMC's Immigrant & Refugee Health
Center and the study's corresponding author. One of the challenges,
the authors note, is the incomplete information on race and ethnicity
included in the reported data given variations among how the information
is collected and reported. At this time, there are no universal standards
or processes in place at health care institutions related to how racial
or ethnic information is collected from patients.

"The dilemma is that we know these disparities among racial groups
aren't biological, and reflect the systemic impacts of racism and
inequality. Yet, we need better data collection on racial and ethnic
groups, in order to develop interventions tailored to address the COVID-19 disparities among specific patient populations," added Kimball, who
is also an assistant professor of medicine at Boston University School
of Medicine. "The better data we have access to, the more targeted we
can be in our public health and treatment approaches to dismantle the
effects of racism and the disparities that we see among different groups
within the Hispanic community, which can help decrease COVID-19-specific disparities in these individuals." This study was funded in part by
the National Institutes of Health.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Boston_Medical_Center. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Michael Poulson, Miriam Neufeld, Alaina Geary, Kelly Kenzik,
Sabrina E.

Sanchez, Tracey Dechert, Sarah Kimball. Intersectional Disparities
Among Hispanic Groups in COVID-19 Outcomes. Journal of Immigrant
and Minority Health, 2020; DOI: 10.1007/s10903-020-01111-5 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/10/201027111229.htm

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