Open AccessRacial Disparity of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in African American Communities
Author(s) -
Ravina Kullar,
Jasmine R Marcelin,
Talia H. Swartz,
Damani A. Piggott,
Raul Macias Gil,
Trini A. Mathew,
Tina Q. Tan
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
the journal of infectious diseases (online. university of chicago press)/the journal of infectious diseases
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.69
H-Index - 252
eISSN - 1537-6613
pISSN - 0022-1899
DOI - 10.1093/infdis/jiaa372
Subject(s) - pandemic , health equity , context (archaeology) , covid-19 , terminology , african american , race (biology) , health care , consistency (knowledge bases) , disease , gerontology , geography , medicine , political science , sociology , gender studies , ethnology , outbreak , infectious disease (medical specialty) , virology , philosophy , mathematics , law , linguistics , archaeology , pathology , geometry
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has unveiled unsettling disparities in the outcome of the disease among African Americans. These disparities are not new but are rooted in structural inequities that must be addressed to adequately care for communities of color. We describe the historical context of these structural inequities, their impact on the progression of COVID-19 in the African American (black) community, and suggest a multifaceted approach to addressing these healthcare disparities. (Of note, terminology from survey data cited for this article varied from blacks, African Americans, or both; for consistency, we use African Americans throughout.)