Once Hospitalized, Black COVID-19 Patients Have Lower Risk of Death Than White Patients

A study published by the JAMA indicates that Black and Hispanic populations are not inherently more susceptible to poor COVID-19 outcomes compared with other groups and that once hospitalized, Black patients were less likely than White patients to have a critical illness or die, after adjustment for comorbidity and neighborhood characteristics.

“We know that Black and Hispanic populations account for a disproportionate share of COVID-19–related deaths relative to their population size in major US cities,” stated Dr. Gbenga Ogedegbe, at NYU Langone, and the study’s lead author, in a press release issued on December 4, 2020.

Additionally, after adjusting for all factors, this study found Asian patients had higher odds of being hospitalized than White patients, even though they were less likely to receive positive COVID-19 test results.