A Review of Multiple Analyses Documents Persistent Racial Disparities in COVID-19

A KFF review of a wide range of studies finds a consistent pattern that people of color are bearing a disproportionate burden of COVID-19 cases, deaths, and hospitalizations, and that they may face increased barriers to access testing. These disparities, brought to the fore in the pandemic, mirror and compound longstanding underlying disparities in health and health care in the U.S. that stem from structural and systemic barriers across sectors, including racism and discrimination. Other analyses also suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic is taking a larger economic toll on people of color.

Racial Disparities in COVID-19: Key Findings from Available Data and Analysis, as well as other KFF work related to racial disparities and the pandemic, can be found at kff.org.