The likelihood of death for Black people under the age of 25 increased significantly during the coronavirus pandemic. (Illustrative Image)
The probability of death for people african american Those under 25 and working-age adults increased significantly during the coronavirus pandemic, according to new research on mortality rates published Friday in the journal JAMA Network Open.
The study reviewed deaths by age, race and ethnicity and highlights how pandemic It disproportionately affected the nation’s core adult population and historically underserved racial and ethnic communities. It found that mortality disparities were not only replicated during the pandemic, but exacerbated.
“When there is a crisis, we need to mobilize our resources towards the groups that are most at risk, because that means that every action you take will save many more lives,” he said Jeremy Faustlead author of the article and emergency physician at the Hospital Brigham and Women’s of Boston.
The authors studied pre-pandemic data to estimate the number of deaths that would have occurred if the pandemic had not occurred. They then examined data from more than 10.6 million death certificates to determine how many people died during the public health emergency. coronavirus in USAwhich was declared in March 2020 and expired in May 2023.
The researchers analyzed deaths from a variety of causes, allowing them to capture deaths directly attributable to the covid-19. They also looked at deaths that were not officially classified as Covid-related but were likely due to the virus and cases in which the pandemic exacerbated pre-existing health conditions.
By subtracting projected deaths from actual deaths, the authors calculated a number called excess deaths, a metric commonly studied in emergencies, such as pandemics and natural disasters, when more deaths than usual are expected to occur.
Researchers found that about 1.4 million excess deaths occurred during the height of the pandemic. Although the elderly population accounted for the majority of these deaths, those aged 25 to 64 experienced the largest relative increase in mortality.
During the pandemic, the core adult population saw a 20 percent increase over typical death rates, while the elderly, who already have a higher death rate, saw a 13 percent increase.
As a result, although the pandemic severely affected the vulnerable elderly population, “this really tells a somewhat different story that many unexpected deaths occurred in younger populations,” he said. Tasce Bongiovannistudy author and critical care and trauma surgeon at the University of California in San Francisco.
This is especially true for Native Hawaiian and other Pacific populations, where people ages 65 and younger accounted for more than 70% of excess deaths within these communities.
In all age groups in USAthe indigenous American communities, native to Alaska and Hispanic women saw the largest increases in deaths compared to usual values.
Among those under 25 years of age, African Americans accounted for more than 50 percent of excess deaths, even though they make up about 14 percent of the U.S. population. In contrast, there were no excess deaths among white or Asian people in this age group.
“If you look across decades of our history here in the United States, sadly, we see these racial disparities in chronic disease, mortality and hospitalization, unravel,” he said. Utibe Essienstudy author and assistant professor of medicine at UCLA.
The authors emphasize that their findings are not the result of genetic differences between the populations they studied. Rather, they draw attention to the ways in which structural racism makes it difficult for some groups to access and trust health care, as many communities of color have historically been mistreated by the medical system.
The report highlights how structural racism and lack of access to healthcare increased mortality rates during the pandemic (REUTERS/Brendan McDermid)
“Labor is just a totally key part of this story,” said Elizabeth Wrigley-Field, a demographer and associate professor of sociology at the University of Minnesota. He explained that some workers were at higher risk of contracting Covid and transmitting it to others, especially if they lived in multigenerational households.
A preliminary study from November 2020 found that Black and Latino frontline workers were less likely than white and Asian workers to have adequate Covid protections.
Social determinants of health, which include factors such as financial stability and access to quality education, primary care, and housing, play a large role in the health disparities that exist between different groups. Improving these determinants requires addressing long-standing inequities in all sectors of society, said the researchers, who called on those with power and influence to take action.
“It can’t just come from the health care system,” Bongiovanni said. “It has to come from our community and our government,” he concluded.
The Washington Post
