March 12, 2021

Differences in COVID-19-Related Testing and Healthcare Utilization by Race and Ethnicity in the Veterans Health Administration

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Public Health Policy and Practice

Keywords (Tags): disparities, public health

• SARS-CoV-2 testing rates (4%) and positivity rates (12%) among Black veterans and Hispanic veterans (5% and 12%, respectively) were higher compared to white veterans (3% and 6%) according to a retrospective cohort study of all US veterans who were active users of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) services. 252,702 veterans were tested (3%) for SARS-CoV-2 from February to July 2020, with an overall positivity rate of 8%. Among veterans with a positive test result, 24% of had an incident hospitalization due to COVID-19, with hospitalization rates highest in Black veterans (29%). No significant differences by race and ethnicity were observed in odds of ICU admission or in-hospital death after controlling for demographics and comorbidities. Results for other reported race/ethnicity groups were described, but statistical comparison focused on Black, Hispanic and white veterans.

Razjouyan et al. (Mar 2021). Differences in COVID-19-Related Testing and Healthcare Utilization by Race and Ethnicity in the Veterans Health Administration. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-021-00982-0