Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

December 7, 2020

Assessment of Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Hospitalization and Mortality in Patients With COVID-19 in New York City

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A retrospective cohort study of 9722 patients tested for SARS-COV-2 in New York City found that Black and Hispanic patients were more likely than white patients to test positive (OR 1.3 and OR 1.5, respectively). Odds of hospitalization were similar for Black, Hispanic, and white individuals, but higher for Asian and multiracial individuals (OR 1.6 and OR 1.4, respectively). Among hospitalized patients, Black patients were less likely to experience severe illness (OR 0.6), or to die or be discharged to hospice (HR 0.7), than white patients. The authors suggest that existing structural determinants in Black and Hispanic communities may explain the disproportionately high out-of-hospital deaths in these populations. 

Ogedegbe et al. (Dec 4, 2020). Assessment of Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Hospitalization and Mortality in Patients With COVID-19 in New York City. JAMA Network Open. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.26881