A high percentage of COVID-19 cases in hot spots are among people of color, particularly Spanish and Black residents, according to a new analysis released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Among 79 counties identified as COVID-19 hot spots, 76 had a disproportionate number of cases between communities of color between February and June, according to data released Friday.
The CDC said another 126 counties were also considered hot spots, but those did not have enough race data from COVID-19 cases to include in the analysis.
Differences among Spanish people were found in 59 of those counties, as well as among Black people in 22 of the 79 counties. These groups made up a larger proportion of the cases, despite a smaller proportion of the population compared to white people.
North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Arkansas, Utah, Florida and Tennessee had the highest number of counties with differences among Hispanics, while Michigan and South Carolina had the highest number of counties with differences among Black people.
People of color are more likely to be considered essential workers, as in meat packages and health care fields, which puts them at greater risk for exposure to the virus.
Other studies have shown that people of color have disproportionately serious COVID-19 disease when they die because they are more likely to have underlying health conditions due to unequal access to health care and discrimination in health care settings.
Studying the impact on communities of color in hot spots could help provide better tools for immediate testing and prevention, the CDC authors wrote, and “improve common broad health outcomes related to COVID-19.”
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