Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities (2020) 7:1039–1045
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-020-00879-4
PERSPECTIVE ARTICLE
Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Racial Disparities: a Perspective Analysis
James Louis-Jean 1
&
Kenney Cenat 2 & Chidinma V. Njoku 3 & James Angelo 4 & Debbie Sanon 5
Received: 30 April 2020 / Revised: 15 September 2020 / Accepted: 21 September 2020 / Published online: 6 October 2020
# W. Montague Cobb-NMA Health Institute 2020
Abstract
Health disparity refers to systematic differences in health outcomes between groups and communities based on socioeconomic
isolation. In the USA, health disparities among minority groups, especially African Americans, limit their access to quality
medical care and other beneficial resources and services. Presently, the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) highlights the extreme
healthcare challenges that exist in the African American and other minority communities in the USA. African Americans are
dying at a rate nearly four times higher than the national average. With inadequate access to quality healthcare, viable resources,
and information, COVID-19 will continue to have a disastrous effect on African American communities. This communication
provides a brief overview of the health inequalities resulting in African Americans dying disproportionately during the COVID19 pandemic.
Keywords African American . Coronavirus . Health disparity . Socioeconomic
Introduction
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) emerged from Wuhan,
China, in late 2019 and quickly became a global pandemic
that has already affected more than 115 countries and territories [1]. In symptomatic patients, this highly transmissible
disease causes severe acute respiratory syndrome, which infects lower respiratory airways and results in fatal pneumonia.
The effect of this pandemic is widely visible, resulting in
about a 5.6% mortality rate and causing major economic and
social devastations [2]. Studies have shown that COVID-19 is
transmitted via human interactions when uninfected individuals come in contact with mucus and respiratory droplets or
surfaces that contain the virus. On surfaces where it is present,
the virus can remain infectious from 2 hours and up to 9 days
depending on the surface materials. Also, it can remain
* James Louis-Jean
louisjea@unlv.nevada.edu
1
University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, USA
2
Homestead Middle School, Homestead, FL, USA
3
Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health, Carson City, NV,
USA
4
Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
5
Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
airborne for up to 3 hours post aerosolization [3].
Furthermore, a small majority of carriers develop mild to no
symptoms. As a result, transmission occurs rapidly and inconspicuously with both symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals unknowingly transmitting the virus, resulting in more
people being infected. Research data continues to show that
COVID-19 affects all age groups. Older individuals and those
with underlying health conditions are more prone to
experiencing severe illnesses and death. Data analysis of
COVID-19 from the USA highlights pre-existing health disparities among African Americans as the potential cause of
poor prognosis. Based on reports from National Health Care
disparities, in comparison with non-Hispanic whites, African
Americans have a 44% greater chance of dying from stroke,
20% more likely to have asthma, 25% more likely to have
heart disease, 72% more likely to have diabetes, and 23%
more likely to be obese [4]. This is a major concern that government and public health officials should address as it has
been shown that in 21 out of 30 states reporting data, black
people accounted for a higher share of COVID-19 cases than
their share in the population [5]. In 19 out of 24 states, they
accounted for a higher share of deaths than their share of the
total population [5]. In such regard, an immediate plan of
action is urgently needed to address and mitigate the effects
of health disparities. This communication briefly examines the
health disparities among African Americans in the USA during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Racial and Demographic Analysis of COVID-19
In the early phase of the outbreak in the USA, access to
testing was limited to government officials, celebrities,
and a selected number of healthcare workers—
symptomatic or asymptomatic. It was not until 18
March 2020 when the federal government passed the
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA),
which allows free COVID-19 testing for all individuals
[6], that large-scale testing became available nationwide.
While FFCRA is a great response for all citizens, the lack
of testing remains, especially in minority communities.
In the USA, the racial breakdown of COVID-19 cases
and deaths is now starting to be made available. In
Louisiana, where 32% of its population is African
American [7], 70% of deaths—as a result of the novel
coronavirus—are among African Americans. Meanwhile,
white Americans in Louisiana account for 62% of the
population but recorded only 28% of COVID-19 deaths
[8]. Of the 380 COVID-19 deaths in Illinois [9], the percentage of deaths among black Americans (43%) is higher
compared with those among whites (36%), Hispanics
(8.4%), Asians (3.7%), and others (6.8%). This is an area
where the majority of the population is white (77%) and
the black population is about 15%. The same phenomenon is occurring in Michigan [10]; the black population is
about 14% but accounted for 40% of COVID-19 deaths.
In New York, both Hispanics and African Americans are
dying at a relatively higher rate in comparison with other
ethnic groups. They account for 29% and 22% of New
York’s population, respectively. However, the reported
death toll [11] for Hispanics and African Americans is
34% and 28%, respectively. In Connecticut, the black
population is about 10%, but represents more than 16%
of COVID-19 deaths [12, 13]. In Milwaukee County, the
black population is about 26% but represents 77% of
COVID-19 deaths [14, 15]. In North Carolina, 49% of
deaths are among African Americans, who represent
21% of the total population [16]. The trend and commonality transcend state lines. The common denominator for
the high mortality rate in all these states is race and ethnic
background. Of note, all data presented in this communication and Fig. 1 are subject to change as more data becomes available. For more up-to-date data, refer to the
States Department of Public Health and Services.
Health Disparities
A recent study showed that in zip codes with high numbers of
unemployed and uninsured residents, fewer test kits were
available [17, 18]. Most of those zip codes have disproportionate numbers of African Americans. It is no surprise that
J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities (2020) 7:1039–1045
underserved communities such as the African American communities would also have less access to COVID-19 test kits in
a time that kits are scarce.
Assuming that African Americans are seeking medical
attention for COVID-19, they will most likely do so at
minority-serving institutions which already have [19]:
(i) Lower quality care due to low budgets and lack of
resources
(ii) Shortage of critical care physicians
(iii) Inadequate number of medical supplies and equipment
(i.e., personal protective equipment and ventilators for
critically ill patients).
This is in parallel to years of ongoing racial and socioeconomic discrimination in the USA [20, 21]. While a
series of landmark court cases such as Simkins v Moses
H. Cone Memorial Hospital (1963) and Cypress v
Newport News Hospital Association (1967) litigated by
the National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People (NAACP) Legal Defense and Education
Fund took legal actions against racial policies and discriminations in healthcare, the challenges for quality
healthcare for African Americans remain [22]. The pursuit
of legal strategies against racist policies was an essential
element in a national campaign to eliminate discrimination in healthcare delivery in the USA.
As COVID-19 cases and related deaths continue to rise in
the USA, data demonstrates that African American communities in various cities are the most affected (Fig. 1). This is a
challenge that the federal government and its COVID-19 task
force have pointed out. However, in a White House press
briefing, Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institute of
Allergy and Infectious Diseases recently expressed, “…there
is nothing we [the federal government] can do about it
[COVID-19] right now except to give them [African
Americans] the best possible care to avoid complications.”
Health disparities and institutional racism [20, 21, 23–27]
make the COVID-19 pandemic worse for African Americans.
There are studies on the effects of stress and health for African
Americans as stress can increase vulnerability, which in turn is
a factor in determinants of health disparities. Perceived discrimination can add to stress, which increases vulnerability to
the health effects of environmental hazards, thus adding to
health disparities. Harburg et al. highlighted that darkerskinned black men having racist interactions and living in
neighborhoods with high rates of social instability have an
increased risk and incidence of stressful experiences in daily
life, which in turn increases their likelihood of high blood
pressure along with other health conditions they are
predisposed to from their environment [28]. Conditions
resulting from these conditions are listed as risk factors for
more severe COVID-19 cases [29].
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80
Milwaukee County
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Population
50
40
30
20
10
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Percentage (%)
50
Population
30
20
10
0
Population
Constant streams of statistical data (Fig. 1) about the novel coronavirus are showing that African Americans are dying
from COVID-19-related complications at a disproportionately higher rate than other ethnic and racial groups. Racial
inequities in healthcare institutions, lack of access to information, higher levels of preventable chronic diseases (i.e.,
diabetes, asthmas, hypertension, etc.), and COVID-19 testing not being widely available in minority communities are
among the many factors resulting in African Americans dying at disproportionate numbers during this pandemic [30].
Failure to rapidly test and segregate individuals infected with
COVID-19 can result in major chain-of-transmission reactions and deaths.
Deaths
Connecticut
5
Population
Deaths
Population
Deaths
Illinois
40
30
20
10
50
Michigan
Deaths
10
0
Deaths
40
Population
15
50
Louisiana
Population
Chicago
0
Deaths
Percentage (%)
Percentage (%)
0
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
20
District of Columbia
Percentage (%)
Percentage (%)
60
Deaths
Percentage (%)
70
Percentage (%)
Fig. 1 Percent of population and
percentage of COVID-19 deaths
among black Americans in
various jurisdictions. Sources in
text
Percentage (%)
J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities (2020) 7:1039–1045
North Carolina
40
30
20
10
0
Population
Deaths
COVID-19 and Socioeconomic Stratification
The socioeconomic discrimination has confined African
Americans to overpopulated housing estates (ghettos) and
low-wage jobs. From the very genesis of this country,
African Americans have always been the essential or sacrificial workers used to ensure the continuity of this economy.
From centuries of free slave labor to years of sharecropping to
low-paying domestic jobs, African Americans have always
played a role in shaping the very essence of what America is
[31, 32]. Today, a large number of African Americans work in
retail, home healthcare, mass transit, plant factories, and
prisons/jails where social distancing is almost impossible. As
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a result, African Americans became more vulnerable to the
disease combined with inadequate access to proper healthcare
in their communities [13].
Preventative Measures and Challenges
In many cities in the USA, stay-at-home orders are placed to
mitigate the spread of the virus. This is a great effort, which
has shown promising results. However, African Americans
and other minority groups account for 68% of the US homeless population [33]. These individuals stand no chance
against the trail of devastation that COVID-19 will leave behind since it is almost impossible for them to follow preventative guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) and government officials. To help flatten
the curve, many doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals from non-profit organizations are volunteering their
services to the homeless community. Among other preventative measures highlighted by the CDC as well as healthcare
and government officials is the use of face masks in public
settings. While this effort can limit and reduce the spread of
COVID-19, this could pose a challenge to African Americans
and other minorities as they are more likely to be criminalized
based on their appearances while wearing masks.
Of note, many individuals have failed to understand the
zoonotic origin of COVID-19 [34–37]. As a result, significant
misinformation and conspiracy theories continue to circulate
on the web and social media. While the Internet is an open
platform to share and access information, individuals should
be aware of conspiracy theories and follow credible sources
for relevant information. While there is no evidence showing a
correlation between COVID-19 and the upcoming fifthgeneration (5G) technology, people continue to share misinformation linking the current pandemic to 5G technology.
Initially, there was the belief that black individuals and minorities were not susceptible to being infected with the virus.
There is no available research showing that black individuals
are biologically and genetically immune to the virus. Without
proper information, these artificial assumptions can usher individuals into disastrous directions.
COVID-19 and Black Migrants
On a global scale, COVID-19 is not only affecting people of
African descent in the USA but across the world. Minority
groups everywhere are harassed and discriminated against
during this pandemic. In China where the virus emerged,
Africans living in Guangzhou are being evicted from their
homes as the virus sparked fear and racial discrimination. Of
equal challenges, minorities and migrant workers from
Caribbean countries, such as Haiti, living in the USA are
J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities (2020) 7:1039–1045
being detained by the Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) at detention centers where the virus is
uncontrollable. These Haitians—some of whom are infected
with or are COVID-19 carriers—are subjected to deportation
to their native land of Haiti, a country with a very weak public
healthcare system [38]. Only a few examples are highlighted
here; a comprehensive analysis is underway. Altogether,
African Americans and individuals of African descent are
more vulnerable to the impact of the virus.
African American Distrust in the Healthcare
System
It is no secret that the US government has misguided and often
used African Americans as guinea pigs for medical research.
During the time of slavery, psychologists and doctors deemed
it a disease for slaves to long for freedom or want to “run
away.” Runaway slaves were diagnosed with what was called
“drapetomania,” which was considered, at the time, a mental
illness that amplifies the desire to become a fugitive–run away
[32]. Furthermore, after slaves were freed, many American
doctors continued to argue that former slaves were incapable
of thriving as free members of society because their minds
could not function beyond the established orders of slavery.
Among many other diseases, the syphilis outbreak in the
south highlighted another dark chapter in African Americans’
relations with the healthcare system in America. Many
African Americans infected with syphilis were promised treatment from the Public Health Department. Instead, those patients were denied treatment and turned into “guinea pigs” to
monitor the progression of the disease. The patients were unaware and were lied to repeatedly about their conditions.
Many of those untreated “guinea pigs” of the syphilis experiment infected their wives and other women they had gotten in
contact with. Furthermore, many of them had unknowingly
fathered children born with congenital syphilis. The syphilis
experiment lasted for 40 years, and it was a major ethical
violation. The US government had broken its laws and
experimented on its citizens. The US Public Health Service
did not treat the people who were experimented on even after
penicillin—the effective cure for the disease—was made
available. Historically, this injustice has established a certain
level of distrust among African Americans in the US public
health system; therefore, they are more reluctant in seeking
routine preventative care [39].
The time for a healthcare revolution for African Americans
is long overdue. This is not a surprise, as 100 years ago, the
1918 flu pandemic highlighted the racial bias and distrust that
existed in the medical community [40, 41]. Jim Crow laws
and pseudoscientific theories made the impact of the flu go
unnoticed in black communities. All efforts and resources
were made available to white communities as physicians
J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities (2020) 7:1039–1045
believed that the virus only affected white individuals. Many
healthcare officials, with no reliable scientific evidence, believed that African Americans were not susceptible to the flu
as the linings of their “big noses” were resistant to the microorganism that affects the respiratory system. As a result, black
communities were forced to battle the 1918 flu pandemic on
their own, using limited resources and inadequate medical
care at segregated healthcare institutions [41]. The current
COVID-19 pandemic reflects a mirror image of the 1918 flu
pandemic for African Americans and other minorities in the
USA [40]. Such patterns will possibly continue if the socioeconomic, health disparities, and the dividing racial lines
stretch to upcoming generations.
Discussion and Approach
Other jurisdictions have yet to publicly report their data based
on race and ethnicity; regardless, the challenges remain from
social and economic factors that drive health outcomes.
Altogether, African Americans are dying at a much higher
rate compared with any other ethnic group. Due to various
factors that affect health outcomes, a plan of action is urgently
needed to respond to the challenges of this pandemic and any
health threats in African American communities [42]. Access
to testing and proper medical treatment is necessary to ensure
the safety of African Americans, the most vulnerable group.
The embedded racism in the healthcare system and the socioeconomic and health disparities [25, 27] continue to make the
effect of the virus worst—for black Americans and other minorities in the USA. Overall, the lack of testing made available
to the black community for COVID-19, the continuous poor
healthcare system for African Americans, and the systematic
health disparity are what makes this virus more dangerous to
African Americans; although COVID-19 is a new pandemic,
it is deeply rooted in history in the continuous plight of
African Americans in this country [13]. It is an unsettling
reality for African Americans to rely on the same systems that
historically inflicted harm and damage on them to protect and
serve them against this virus [31, 32, 43].
More research is needed to understand the source of
exposure to COVID-19 for African Americans as well as
a plan of care and health outcomes of African Americans
in various zip codes. Further research can also shed light
into the type of facilities a majority of African Americans
receive care in, such as nursing homes, and assess their
preparedness looking into their access to resources such
as personal protective equipment (PPE) during the
COVID-19 pandemic, current and past documented deficiencies from state surveys, and infection control measures taken during COVID-19, and overall health outcome. More research is also needed to understand how
the environment affects health outcome or the severity
1043
of COVID-19 cases in terms of environmental exposures,
social, and economic factors that can affect mortality,
morbidity, life expectancy, healthcare expenditures, and
health status amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. This is relevant since a recent study found that living in areas with
high air pollution is associated with an 8% increase in the
COVID-19 death rate [44].
Black leaders in all communities, historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), and minority-serving institutions (MSIs) should continue to engage and educate students
to respond to the needs of their communities. This will require
these institutions to reinvent and alter their curriculums to
provide more health and medical programs (including medical
history), engineering, science, and technology. Currently,
these institutions are operating with low resources, many are
underfunded, and others are on the verge of being permanently closed. This is very unfortunate for African Americans and
other minority communities especially when analyzing the
impact of COVID-19. As the pandemic forced all teaching
to be done remotely, HBCUs’ and MSIs’ students and institutions are at higher risks of not being able to satisfy their
educational needs [45]. Many have limited to no access to
technological devices and reliable Internet access to fully respond to the spontaneous remote teaching caused by the effect
of the virus.
Conclusion
The gravity of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 (SARSCoV-2) pandemic is yet another event showing the racialized
health inequalities that exist in the USA. African Americans
have systematically experienced the worst health outcomes
compared with any other racial and ethnic group in the
USA. The burdens of COVID-19 are much greater among
minorities living in low-income communities where access
to quality healthcare and other relevant needs is scarce. The
health disparities in the USA did not start with the COVID-19
pandemic. However, the virus has significantly highlighted
the pre-existing racial inequalities.
Altogether, the socioeconomic status and the well-being of
African Americans require intervention and significant improvement is needed. This will require mutual inclusions of
community leaders from various organizations (i.e., churches,
Divine Nine Organizations: Fraternities and Sororities), local
government, policymakers, and researchers to mend
healthcare in low-income communities.
Acknowledgments Thanks are due to Miriame Etienne, Ruthonce Stvil
Louis-Jean, Isaiah Herbert, and Magdonald Aimé for their feedback.
Data Availability All materials and data used in this communication are
publicly available and are cited throughout the text.
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J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities (2020) 7:1039–1045
Compliance with Ethical Standards
Ethics Approval and Consent Ethical approval or consent was not applicable for this paper.
Conflict of Interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of
interest.
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