Trends in racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 hospitalizations, by region - United States, March-December 2020
Open accessAbstract
Persons from racial and ethnic minority groups are disproportionately affected by COVID-19, including experiencing increased risk for infection (1), hospitalization (2,3), and death (4,5). Using administrative discharge data, CDC assessed monthly trends in the proportion of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 among racial and ethnic groups in the United States during March-December 2020 by U.S. Census region. Cumulative and monthly age-adjusted COVID-19 proportionate hospitalization ratios (aPHRs) were calculated for racial and ethnic minority patients relative to non-Hispanic White patients. Within each of the four U.S. Census regions, the cumulative aPHR was highest for Hispanic or Latino patients (range = 2.7-3.9). Racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 hospitalization were largest during May-July 2020; the peak monthly aPHR among Hispanic or Latino patients was >9.0 in the West and Midwest, >6.0 in the South, and >3.0 in the Northeast. The aPHRs declined for most racial and ethnic groups during July-November 2020 but increased for some racial and ethnic groups in some regions during December. Disparities in COVID-19 hospitalization by race/ethnicity varied by region and became less pronounced over the course of the pandemic, as COVID-19 hospitalizations increased among non-Hispanic White persons. Identification of specific social determinants of health that contribute to geographic and temporal differences in racial and ethnic disparities at the local level can help guide tailored public health prevention strategies and equitable allocation of resources, including COVID-19 vaccination, to address COVID-19-related health disparities and can inform approaches to achieve greater health equity during future public health threats.
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COVID-19 and Racial/Ethnic Disparities
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Race, Ethnicity, and Age Trends in Persons Who Died from COVID-19 — United States, May–August 2020
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Racial and ethnic differentials in COVID-19-related job exposures by occupational standing in the US
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Covid-19 by Race and Ethnicity: A National Cohort Study of 6 Million United States VeteransPreprint
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- Authors
- Romano, S. D., Blackstock, A. J., Taylor, E. V., El Burai Felix, S., Adjei, S., Singleton, C.-M., Fuld, J., Bruce, B. B., & Boehmer, T. K.
- Affiliations
- CDC COVID-19 Response Team.
- Corresponding author
- Romano, Sebastian D.
- ORCID
- Boehmer, Tegan K.
- Venue
- MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
- Published
- 2021-04-16
- Volume
- 70
- Issue
- 15
- Pages
- 560-565
- ISSN
- 0149-2195 (ISSN-L)
- 1545-861X
- PMC
- PMC8344991
- OpenAlex
- W3156310478
- Cited by
- 273
- References
- 12
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 28 · 2024: 41 · 2023: 69 · 2022: 85 · 2021: 36 · 2020: 1
- FWCI
- 22.43
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- diamond
- doi.org
- Locations
- MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Mathematics › Modeling and Simulation › COVID-19 epidemiological studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › COVID-19 Clinical Research Studies
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Healthcare Systems and Challenges
- Keywords
- COVID-19 pandemic, racial and ethnic disparities, hospitalization, temporal trends, social determinants of health, health equity, COVID-19 vaccination
- MeSH terms
- COVID-19, Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Ethnicity, Geography, Hospitalization, Humans, Middle Aged, United States, Racial Groups, Health Status Disparities, Young Adult, Social Determinants of Health
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