Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

January 11, 2021

Using Lorenz Curves to Measure Racial Inequities in COVID-19 Testing

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A cross-sectional study using modified Lorenz curves to assess disparities in COVID-19 testing relative to disease burden found that in the St. Louis region, 89,341 SARS-CoV-2 tests (22.9%) were conducted in the 23 zip codes accounting for 50% of hospitalizations; 17 of these zip codes had a population where >50% of residents were Black. In contrast, 218,057 tests (52.9%) were conducted in the 86 zip codes accounting for only 25% of hospitalizations, none of which had a predominantly Black population. Within the same zip code, Black residents consistently had lower rates of tests per hospitalization compared with white residents. 

Mody et al. (Jan 8, 2021). Using Lorenz Curves to Measure Racial Inequities in COVID-19 Testing. JAMA Network Open. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33416882/