This archive report was first published on 24 May 2020.
Published on May 24, 2020, a study in Health Affairs shed light on the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on black patients in the United States.
Researchers found that black patients were more likely to be hospitalized and require intensive care compared to their white, Hispanic, and Asian counterparts.
Even after accounting for differences in age, sex, income, and chronic health conditions, black patients were 2.7 times more likely to require hospitalization.
Dr. Stephen H. Lockhart, chief medical officer at Sutter Health, noted that black patients often present to emergency departments later in the course of their illness, when the disease is more advanced.
“Black patients are coming to us later and sicker, and they’re accessing our care through the emergency department and acute care environment,” Dr. Lockhart said.
The study's lead author, Kristen M.J. Azar, emphasized the importance of early medical intervention in preventing poor outcomes.
“How soon you access care, even supportive care, affects how you experience illness and how much pain and suffering you have,” Dr. Azar said.
Dr. Clyde W. Yancy, chief of cardiology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, noted that the study's findings confirm the role of socioeconomic factors in influencing health status and vulnerability to infection.
