Family Medicine physician Emad Abou-Arab, MD, explains why some Americans are disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read the takeaways
While COVID-19 has affected all of us, it has not affected everyone in the same way. Race is not a risk factor for COVID-19, racism is.
Racism, poverty, food insecurity, and health care access influence a wide range of health outcomes and risks. When exposed to the same virus, Black, Latinx, and Indigenous Americans have more severe disease and a mortality rate more than twice that of White Americans.
Research shows that addressing these social determinants of health will reduce the health disparities and promote health equity.