An analysis of more than 380,000 COVID-19 deaths shows which racial background is the most affected by the pandemic.
People with a Latino background seem to be more affected by COVID-19 than those with a black or white ethnic background, a new study found. The study was led by Dr Theresa Andrasfay, from the University of Southern California, in the USA.
The study analysed data from 380,868 COVID-19 deaths that occurred in 2020, across the USA. During this time, the study estimated that COVID-19 reduced the overall US life expectancy by 1.31 years. But not everyone was affected in the same way. Race seems to be an important factor.
“The reductions are 3.2 times as large for the Latino population (3.03 years) and twice as large for the Black population (1.90 years) compared with the White population (0.94 years),” the authors wrote.
About the findings
This study used publicly available data, including information about COVID-19 deaths by weeks, race/ethnicity, and age, from the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as data from other official sources.
The findings are in line with previous results from this group and found that changes in life expectancy associated with COVID-19 are higher than previously estimated. The authors argue that the observed effect of COVID-19 on life expectancy, according to race, may involve social and economic factors.
“This unprecedented change likely stems from social and economic inequities that are associated with both higher exposure to infection and higher fatality among those infected,” the authors wrote.
“Compared with Black and White individuals, Latino individuals in the US have lower rates of health insurance (affecting access to testing, treatment, and quality health care), are more apt to live in multigenerational and crowded households, and are more likely to hold frontline jobs involving risks of viral transmission without adequate protection,” they added.
The authors warned that their estimated reduction in life expectancy may be underestimated, as it excludes any misclassified COVID-19 deaths from causes resulting indirectly from COVID-19. Further research is warranted to fully understand the effect of COVID-19 on life expectancy.
The findings may hold relevance for pandemic management strategies in Australia, within the context of migrant populations.