(CNN) - In the counties most impacted by COVID-19 in the United States, Latinos and blacks were particularly affected by the virus, according to new research released Friday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. .UU.
The researchers analyzed cumulative case totals from February to June. Among the 79 critical counties that also had data on race, more than 96% had disparities in COVID-19 cases in one or more racial or ethnic minority groups.
"These findings illustrate the disproportionate incidence of COVID-19 among communities of color, as other studies have shown, and suggest that a high percentage of cases in these critical counties are among people of color," the authors noted.
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Latino populations were the largest group living in the most impacted counties and had disparities in population cases. These disparities were found in three-quarters of critical counties, where about 3.5 million Hispanics live.
Blacks were the next largest group to live in these counties, with about 2 million people living in 22 critical counties, where there were disparities in the identified cases.
This was followed by more than 60,000 American Indians / Alaska Natives living in three counties, nearly 36,000 Asians in four counties, and about 31,000 Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders in 19 affected counties, with disparities in cases. within the population.
There are a number of factors that could lead to an increased risk of covid-19 in these populations, including structural factors such as economic and housing policies, social factors, such as the essential employment status of the worker that requires work in person, permanent discrimination and inequalities. social issues that can lead to increased risk of disease, such as limited access to health care and underlying medical conditions.
Disparities were identified as a difference of 5% or more between the proportion of cases and the proportion of the population or as a ratio of 1.5 or more for the proportion of cases and the proportion of the population.
The research has some limitations, the authors noted, and that is the fact that more than half of the critical counties did not report enough racial data and had to be excluded from the analysis.
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