Racial and Ethnic Disparities in COVID-19: Rate Ratios Provide an Incomplete Picture of US Trends, April 2020 - March 2021

Ethn Dis. 2022 Apr 21;32(2):109-112. doi: 10.18865/ed.32.2.109. eCollection 2022 Spring.

Abstract

Recent increasing rates of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths among non-Hispanic Whites have led to declining rate ratios at a time of continuing high burden of COVID-19 in American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian/Pacific Islander, African American, and Hispanic/Latino populations. The use of all epidemiological tools, including rate ratios and actual rates per 100,000 population, provides a more comprehensive assessment of the magnitude and trends of racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19.

Keywords: COVID-19; Ethnicity; Health Disparity; Health Equity; Race.

MeSH terms

  • Asian People
  • COVID-19*
  • Ethnicity
  • Hispanic or Latino
  • Humans
  • Racial Groups