Report: COVID-19 Disproportionately Affects Communities of Color

Kaiser Family Foundation released a report last week, Low-Income and Communities of Color at Higher Risk of Serious Illness if Infected with Coronavirus, with findings that suggest that serious illness resulting from coronavirus disproportionately affects people in communities of color. Adults with low incomes are also more likely to have chronic health conditions, compared to adults with high incomes, which could increase their risk of serious illness if infected with coronavirus. Some findings from the report:

• More than one in three (34%) American Indian/Alaska Native non-elderly adults are at higher risk of serious illness if infected with the coronavirus; this share is greater than all other racial and ethnic groups
• More than one in four (27%) Black non-elderly adults are at higher risk of serious illness if infected with coronavirus, compared to about one in five (21%) White adults.
• Asian non-elderly adults have the smallest share (12%) of adults at higher risk of serious illness among the racial and ethnic groups included in this analysis.
• More than one in three (35%) non-elderly adults with household incomes below $15,000 are at higher risk of serious illness if infected with coronavirus, compared to about one in seven (16%) adults with household incomes greater than $50,000

The report is available at: https://www.kff.org/disparities-policy/issue-brief/low-income-and-communities-of-color-at-higher-risk-of-serious-illness-if-infected-with-coronavirus/