April 12, 2021

Emergency Department Visits for COVID-19 by Race and Ethnicity — 13 States, October–December 2020

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Public Health Policy and Practice

Keywords (Tags): disparities, public health

• Between October and December 2020, data from 13 US states indicate that the rate of emergency department (ED) visits for COVID-19 was 1.7 times higher among Hispanic and American Indian or Alaska Native (AI/AN) persons, and 1.4 times higher among Black persons, than white persons. Hispanic, AI/AN, and Black persons had significantly more COVID-19–related ED visits overall (RR range = 1.39–1.77) and in all age groups through age 74 years.  The authors provide context for these findings by stating that the racial/ethnic groups that sought ED care for COVID-19 at disproportionately higher rates have also experienced long-standing systemic inequities that affect their health, and that racism (rather than a person’s race or ethnicity), is a key driver of the observed health inequities.

Smith et al. (April 2021). Emergency Department Visits for COVID-19 by Race and Ethnicity — 13 States, October–December 2020. MMWR. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7015e3.htm