COVID-19 Mini-Series: Disparities and Discrimination in the COVID Era (Part 2 of 2)

In this episode of our COVID-19 mini-series, we focus on racial and ethnic health disparities and discrimination related to COVID-19. Lindsey and Rachel discuss the socioeconomic roots of the stark health inequities across ethnic identities in the United States and how these disparities are reflected in COVID data. We explain how recent changes in COVID data collection may impact public perception of the virus’ spread across communities.

Resources discussed in today’s episode:

• APA COVID-19 and Aging Resources

• Gerontological Society of America COVID-19 Updates

• Azar, K. M. J., Shen, Z., Romanelli, R. J., et al. (2020). Disparities in outcomes among COVID-19 patients in a large health care system in California. Health Affairs, 39(7). https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2020.00598

• NYT Article on COVID-19 disparities in nursing homes

• APA Webinar “African American Older Adults and COVID-19: Addressing Mental Health Needs, Supporting Strengths”

• NPR Article describing change in COVID data collection

• CDC graph on age-adjusted COVID-19 hospitalization rates by race and ethnicity

• CDC COVID data tracker

• COVID racial data tracker -- COVID Tracking Project and Boston University

• Emory University’s COVID-19 health equity interactive dashboard that allows you to visualize social determinants of health and rates of COVID 19  

• Racial and ethnic health and social inequities have long existed, compounding the disparities we’ve seen in COVID. The CDC has briefly described some of these factors related to disparities.

• NYT Article “Questions of Bias in COVID 19 Treatment Add to the Mourning for Black Families”

• Stat News article on inequitable representation in clinical trial participation. This article provides concrete strategies clinical researchers can implement to promote equity in their own practices.
  

Further Reading:

• McLaren, J. (2020). Racial Disparity in COVID-19 Deaths: Seeking Economic Roots with Census data (No. w27407). National Bureau of Economic Research.

• Tai, D. B. G., Shah, A., Doubeni, C. A., Sia, I. G., & Wieland, M. L. (2020). The disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on racial and ethnic minorities in the United States. Clinical Infectious Diseases.

• Hoffman, K. M., Trawalter, S., Axt, J. R., & Oliver, M. N. (2016). Racial bias in pain assessment and treatment recommendations, and false beliefs about biological differences between blacks and whites. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(16), 4296-4301.

• Alsan, M., & Wanamaker, M. (2018). Tuskegee and the health of black men. The quarterly journal of economics, 133(1), 407-455.