Noreen Goldman, Hughes-Rogers Professor of Demography and Public Affairs, Princeton University and Theresa Andrasfay, Postdoctoral Scholar, University of Southern California, present, “Racial and Ethnic Differentials in COVID-19 Mortality”
COVID-19 has resulted in a staggering death toll in the US: almost 300,000 deaths by mid-December 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Black, Latino, and Native Americans have experienced a disproportionate burden of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality, reflecting persistent structural inequalities that increase risk of exposure to COVID-19 and mortality risk for those infected. We present results from two studies that seek to quantify the racial and ethnic disparities in the mortality impact of COVID-19 and understand the determinants of these disparities. First, we estimate the impact of COVID-19 on life expectancy at birth and at age 65 for 2020, for the total US population and by race and ethnicity. Second, we estimate standardized relative deaths rates for Native Americans compared with other racial and ethnic groups and examine risk factors that provide insight into the huge geographical variation and high rates of COVID-19 mortality for Native Americans. We briefly examine the potential role of high-risk occupational exposure to account for high rates of COVID-19 mortality among Blacks, Latinos, and Native Americans.
Zoom Seminar. Please contact laura.satterfield@duke.edu to obtain Seminar Link