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A University of Minnesota study found that Black, Hispanic, and Native American people are significantly more likely to be hospitalized due to COVID-19 than white people.
The study, which was published in JAMA Internal Medicine, took data from over 49,000 cases in 12 states during a two-month period using results from the U of M’s COVID-19 Hospitalization Tracking Project and the U.S. Census. The results showed significant racial and ethnic disparities when it came to COVID-19 hospitalizations.
In all twelve states, those who were Black were hospitalized at a much higher rate than those who were white. In Minnesota, Black people make up 6.8 percent of the population, but also account for 24.9 percent of COVID-19 related hospitalizations.
“The unique clinical, financial and social impacts of COVID-19 on racial and ethnic populations that are often systematically marginalized in our society must be well understood in order to design and establish effective and equitable infrastructure solutions,” said Pinar Karaca-Mandic, professor and academic director of the Medical Industry Leadership Institute in the Carlson School, and the study’s lead author.
Of the 11 states that reported on Hispanic populations, 10 found that Hispanic people were also hospitalized at a higher rate. Only 8 states reported data on Native Americans, but hospitalization rates were higher for Native Americans in each one.
These findings are consistent with findings that the Centers for Disease Control has published on health equity in the time of COVID-19. People in racial or ethnic minority groups are disproportionately affected by the virus due to multiple factors, including discrimination, access to healthcare, and income gaps.
While hospitalization rates were higher for Black, Hispanic, and Native American communities, in many states Asian and white communities were much lower. In six of 10 states that provided data, Asian communities reported lower hospitalization percentage in comparison to their population percentage. And, in all 12 states, white people were hospitalized at a significantly lower rate.
In Minnesota, the only reported group that didn’t have a higher percentage of hospitalizations compared to its population percentage was white people.
“Our findings highlight the need for increased data reporting and consistency within and across all states,” said Archelle Georgiou, M.D., chief health officer at Starkey Hearing Technologies and study co-author. “The fact that only 12 of 50 states report this type of information clearly shows there is more to learn about why non-whites are being hospitalized at such higher rates than whites.”
