County-Level Data Shows Racial, Ethnic Disparities in COVID-19

HealthITAnalytics ^ | 4-27-2020 | Jessica Kent

[spintreebob]

Data collected at the county level shows that COVID-19 is more prevalent among black and Hispanic populations, revealing significant racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare.

County-level data collected during the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed staggering racial and ethnic disparities in care, with the virus disproportionately impacting black and Hispanic populations.

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A new report from the Commonwealth Fund shows that COVID-19 is more prevalent and deadly in US counties with higher black populations. While African Americans make up about 30 percent of the population in Chicago, they account for 68 percent of the city’s COVID-19 deaths. The team found similar patterns in Milwaukee, New Orleans, Michigan, and other places.

Troubling racial inequalities have emerged in the COVID-19 pandemic; city and state health departments have raised alarms about the impact on communities of color, Laurie Zephyrin, MD, David C. Radley, Yaphet Getachew, Jesse C. Baumgartner, and Eric C. Schneider, MD wrote.

Not long after the virus started spreading, counties with relatively larger black populations faced higher case counts, higher COVID-19-related mortality, and a faster pace of progression compared to counties with a lower share of black people.

READ MORE: EHR Data Reveals Common Chronic Diseases in COVID-19 Patients

Researchers analyzed county-level COVID-19 case and mortality data, and paired it with county-level population demographic information. Using this data, they were able to compare the COVID-19 experience in counties with either a higher- or lower-than-average African American population.

The group found that in counties with a relatively larger black population, more people are sick with COVID-19 and mortality rates are higher.

By April 21, high-concentration black communities saw 422,184 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 27,354 deaths, compared to 378,667 cases and 16,203 deaths in low-concentration black counties.

The 681 high-concentration black counties account for only about a third of the US population, but 53 percent of the cases and 63 percent of the deaths nationally.

These trends — especially the diverging mortality between these groups of counties — should raise alarm bells. To address them, we need more consistent data collection and transparency on the impact of COVID-19 among communities of color, the authors stated.

READ MORE: Big Data Dashboard Tracks COVID-19 Cases and Response in Indiana

The group noted that although the CDC has started releasing national data on race and ethnicity, recently two-thirds of the reported cases failed to specify the race of the individual.

Going forward, the United States needs to mandate standardized collection and reporting of COVID data by race and ethnicity to provide a clear national picture of the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on communities of color, the researchers concluded.

Only then will federal and local leaders be able to ensure resources for testing, treatment, and recovery are targeted to communities and people most affected by this pandemic.

Hispanic populations have also been disproportionately affected by coronavirus. Researchers in Texas recently found that the Hispanic population in Travis County has been contracting COVID-19 at a growing rate since April 8.

The data was collected by a team from Central Health, a public organization that connects low-income and uninsured individuals to healthcare services.

READ MORE: State-Level Risk Assessments Critical for Reducing COVID-19 Measures

On April 8, 33 percent of all coronavirus cases in Travis County were Hispanic patients. By April 20, that percentage had risen to 41 percent, and by April 23, to 46 percent.

Travis County’s estimated doubling time, or the number of days for the number of cases to increase by a factor of two, has risen for two straight weeks.

Doubling time gives us an indication of continuous growth or stagnation. The growth has slowed considerably, said Sarita Clark-Leach, the Central Health director of analytics and reporting.

However, researchers found that some of the county’s poorer ZIP codes and neighborhoods are experiencing the most dramatic percentage increases in rates. According to documents from Central Health, the St. John’s neighborhood saw a 187.5 percent increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases from April 13-20, a doubling time of 4.59 days.

A nearby ZIP code experienced a 64.9 percent increase in cases from April 13-20, with an estimated doubling time of 9.7 days.

In comparison, ZIP codes that contain downtown Austin and North University neighborhoods either experienced no increase in cases, or saw declines in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases per capita.

These county-level findings reveal that states and communities should prioritize the collection of race and ethnicity data throughout the pandemic.

In a recent report from the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), researchers argued that capturing race data about COVID-19 cases and outcomes will be essential to overcoming health equity issues highlighted during the outbreak.

Sadly, the health disparities making the news today aren’t new or specific to COVID-19, said AANP President Sophia L. Thomas, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, PPCNP, FNAP, FAANP.

The time for waiting is over. We need immediate solutions to the disparities ravaging the health of at-risk populations.

[spintreebob]

As in Black Lives Matter vs All Lives Matter so in IT

Some data matters vs all data matters.

We know that COVID-19 targets the elderly, the obese those with weakened lungs, heart, liver, kidneys and other organs. Does COVID-19 target Obese Blacks differently than Obese Asians? Does COVID-19 target Black smokers lungs differently from white smokers lungs? Does COVID-19 target mourners at the funeral of a Black who died of COVID-19 and had spread it already to a few at the funeral so they could spread it to others... Does it target Black funerals differently than white funerals. We know that nursing homes bussed residents to church where they exchanged the virus with residents of other nursing homes, and with the general church goers. Does it target Black church goers differently from white church goers?

I don't know. Just asking. Others concerned about race should be asking these questions.

[FormerFRLurker]

Hard to say about obese blacks vs obese Asians because there are so few obese Asians. As for the rest I don’t see why it would affect blacks more than others with the same risk factors. But definitely count on the Left to find a way to blame evil Whitey.

[BenLurkin]

[Vision]

Was this crap studied?

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/3839699/posts

[ptsal]

Thanks for CV19 data.

[Redmen4ever]

It is possible the disparity is connected to vulnerability of this virus to UV rays, and absorption of sunlight by pale-skinned people.

[ActresponsiblyinVA]

It is sad to go through life with a race oriented lens.

[sima_yi]

There are lies, damned lies, and the misuse of statistics.

When comparing some factor (say Covid19 deaths) between two populations (say A and B) without correcting for cofactors, the assumption is that Population A is the same as Population B in ALL other respects.

Here, that assumption is not justified. Hence, this is misuse of statistics in order to arrive at a predetermined conclusion.

[PeteB570]

A lot of individual things make data.

To only use some of those things does not make for accurate data.

To state that it impacts people of color would be true based on some data.

We know right now that rest homes are hot beds for Covid activity. How does that play into the data? How many of those worked or were residents in rest homes? Population density? Public transportation?

Many, many more points of data need to be collected before stating the “WHY” of it all.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Good post.

I want to know how many ILLEGAL ALIENS have the Wuhan Virus. NYC has at least 1.2 million illegals and is the epicenter of our pandemic. How many got the tests while in limited supply, consumed ventilators, ICU beds, etc.

[Ragnar54]

This is most likely due to people with darker skin having lower vitamin D levels:

Probability of Vitamin D Deficiency by Body Weight and Race/Ethnicity

"Conclusions:
The effects of skin color and body weight on vitamin D status are large, both statistically and clinically. At typical target concentrations of deficiency (below 20 or below 30 ng/mL), those with darker skin colors or heavier body weights have a higher probability of being vitamin D deficient. Knowledge of these effects may facilitate the diagnosis of vitamin D deficiency."

There is a sad familiarity to the distribution of this disease, if one reviews the history of rickets:

Rickets before the discovery of vitamin D

"Progress in studies of the causes and treatment of rickets suddenly moved much faster, in the period 1917–1922. At the beginning of that time, Huldschinski33 advocated ultraviolet light treatment for rickets. At the same time, Hess34 showed that cod liver oil could prevent and cure rickets in Afro-American children in New York. ... On the veranda (Figure 3) one group was kept well covered while the other group of children, wearing remarkably little clothing, was exposed to sunlight. This second group got better. Thus it was shown that cod liver oil and exposure to sunlight both healed rickets. However, it was not clear at that time whether the effectiveness of cod liver oil was due to vitamin D or to vitamin A,... "

Unfortunately, once a minimal dose of Vitamin D was found to be enough to cure rickets, our government keepers pronounced any more to be probably "toxic" or at best unnecessary. It is time to consider whether we need "ancestral" levels of vitamin D.

There is an article on NIH by a Canadian physician (Dr. Gerry Schwalfenberg) who works in nursing homes. He has developed a protocol for reducing flu like illness among his patients. This should be tried against the corona virus in US nursing homes:

Vitamin D for influenza

"A colleague of mine and I have introduced vitamin D at doses that have achieved greater than 100 nmol/L in most of our patients for the past number of years, and we now see very few patients in our clinics with the flu or influenzalike illness. In those patients who do have influenza, we have treated them with the vitamin D hammer, as coined by my colleague. This is a 1-time 50 000 IU dose of vitamin D3 or 10 000 IU 3 times daily for 2 to 3 days. The results are dramatic, with complete resolution of symptoms in 48 to 72 hours. One-time doses of vitamin D at this level have been used safely and have never been shown to be toxic. We urgently need a study of this intervention. The cost of vitamin D is about a penny for 1000 IU, so this treatment costs less than a dollar."

There is a presentation by Dr. Robert P Heaney on the healthful effects of adequate vitamin D levels:

Vitamin D Sunshine Optimal Health: Putting it all Together

[Amberdawn]

Blaming “whitey” is the whole point. I noticed some time ago that these racial bean counters never juxtapose Asian outcomes with white ones. Just as most “asians” have higher incomes than whites, but you’ll never hear about that-in the marxist worldview it CAN’T be due to discrimination.

[TexasGator]

“It is possible the disparity is connected to vulnerability of this virus to UV rays, and absorption of sunlight by pale-skinned people.”

No.

[bravo whiskey]

Replace chicom virus with illegal gun use and the percentages are similar.
5 cities all Democrat run with ghettos account for nearly 50% of deaths by guns (after eliminating the 60+% of annual gun deaths thru suicide.)

[spintreebob]

I drink milk and eat other products that claim to provide the Vitamin D I need. A certain demographic group feeds their babies and children sugar water that is called juice. Those children grow up, are obese, have diabetes, have high maternal and infant complications and death statistics and vulnerability to many diseases, of which COVID-19 is one.

It tracks back to the voluntary choice of sugar water over milk.

[bort]

The unwritten story of the china virus is that these black communities all have higher rates of current and former crack cocaine and heroin users. Drug use, especially long-term use, results in drug users having weakened immune systems and higher rates of heart and lung ailments. Many black China virus victims were the crack users of the 80s and 90s.

[spintreebob]

Very, very few Illegal aliens have COVID-19 is my guess.
Hispanics, especially those of Mexican ancestry, in the US have the best health of any demographic group. These Mexicans have the best maternal and infant mortality rate at one end and the best longevity at the other end.

These Mexicans have the highest rate of uninsured of any demographic group. They have the highest rate of people who qualify for food stamps and/or Medicaid and won’t apply for it. They have this quaint custom that the man should provide, and to go on welfare is to not be a man.

I will bet that many Puerto Ricans in NY have a COVID-19 rate similar to Blacks in NY.... especially the obese ones of each group, and the obese white guys also.

[nagant]

This is just another bigoted race baiter who uses a naturally occurring phenomenon to blame people for a non-existent racism cause.

1. In the U.S. Blacks tend to populate crowded cities. COVID19 transmits at far higher rates in crowded populations.

2. Blacks display a FAR higher rate of obesity, especially black women. Studies of COVID19 vs race and gender show more infected white men than white women, but more infected black women than black men.

Peculiarities of COVID19 include the fact that severe and deadly cases are brought on by obesity and insulin resistance. Cytokines are inflammation starters which elicit autoimmune responses. The worst COVID19 viral actions are cytokine storms followed by autoimmune attacks. Obesity and insulin resistance are accompanied by the cytokinne Interluken-6 (IL6). COVID19 seems to play best off of IL6.

[spintreebob]

Many, many more points of data need to be collected

Well said. I find it frustrating working with people who want to limit the quantity and variety of data when it is their job to collect and analyze the data. Of course, the other frustration is the quality of the data collected.

A professional assists a patient in filling out a form. The form asks: What County do you live in? The professional puts in the County that the Professional lives in and not the county that the patient lives in. Then we report statistics by county and make decisions based on that. And the bureaucracy does not seem to care.

[Bonemaker]

Democrats will want to have more white people die so the ratio is proportionate.