Racial and Ethnic Disparities in COVID-19: Evidence from Six Large Cities.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Health Disparities

Background:

• The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has disproportionately affected racial and ethnic minority groups in the USA.
• Understanding the drivers of these disparities is crucial for effective public health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine racial and ethnic disparities in confirmed COVID-19 cases and fatalities at the ZIP code level across six diverse US cities.
• To identify factors contributing to these disparities, controlling for a wide range of demographic, socioeconomic, and health-related variables.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of COVID-19 data linked to demographic, socioeconomic, housing, occupation, transportation, healthcare access, long-run opportunity, human mobility, and population health data.
• ZIP code-level analysis across Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, New York City, San Diego, and St. Louis.
• Examination of COVID-19 fatalities in Chicago and New York City.

Main Results:

• ZIP codes with higher proportions of Black and Hispanic residents showed statistically significant increases in COVID-19 cases per capita.
• Hispanic residents had a larger disparity in cases compared to Black residents.
• While some disparities were explained by factors like long-run opportunity and human mobility, most remained unexplained.
• Higher COVID-19 case rates, rather than higher fatality rates, accounted for the majority of observed disparities in fatalities in Chicago and New York City.

Conclusions:

• Significant racial and ethnic disparities exist in COVID-19 incidence across US cities.
• These disparities are largely driven by higher case rates in Black and Hispanic communities, not necessarily higher individual fatality risk.
• Further research is needed to understand the unexplained factors contributing to these disparities.