COVID-19: Magnifying the Effect of Health Disparities

Excerpt

Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) is the condition caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-2-CoV-2) infections which is now prevalent in all 50 states with clustering of cases in major cities in New York, Michigan, California, and New Jersey. COVID-19 that was initially thought to be the great equalizer—no discrimination with who can become infected—now reveals patterns of disparities for low-income persons and racial and ethnic minority populations. This novel coronavirus which results in increased rates of respiratory failure and death among infected individuals^{1, 2} is found to disproportionally affect those with comorbidities such as diabetes, heart disease, and asthma. These conditions are known to disproportionately affect minorities who are already impacted by health disparities. …