The Inequality of COVID-19

At this point in the COVID-19 pandemic, the two places that appear to be the hardest hit in terms of infection and mortality rates are nursing homes and the urban areas with the largest concentrations of minority residents, especially lower income residents.

The Inequality of COVID-19

At this point in the COVID-19 pandemic, the two places that appear to be the hardest hit in terms of infection and mortality rates are nursing homes and the urban areas with the largest concentrations of minority residents, especially lower income residents. This disproportionate inequality of COVID-19 and its impact on minorities is tragic but not surprising. Minorities have long suffered from relatively poorer health conditions, shorter longevity, and less access to timely and good quality health care than whites. These enduring disparities in health status and care are mainly due to what are commonly referred to social determinants of health–factors largely out of the control of individuals–and include discrimination, much lower incomes and household wealth, residing in lower quality housing often in neighborhoods afflicted by disproportionately greater exposure to environmental threats like air pollution and toxic waste sites, higher crime rates, lower quality schools and child care.

This site is for information about how the inequality of COVID-19 is playing out during the pandemic, the role of social and economic determinants in the generation of racial and ethnic disparities in infection and mortality rates, and possible policy responses to them.

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Image Courtesy of Enrique Ortiz / Getty