White Counties Stand Apart: The Primacy of Residential Segregation in COVID-19 and HIV Diagnoses.
AIDS Patient Care STDS
; 34(10): 417-424, 2020 10.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-729065
ABSTRACT
Emerging epidemiological data suggest that white Americans have a lower risk of acquiring COVID-19. Although many studies have pointed to the role of systemic racism in COVID-19 racial/ethnic disparities, few studies have examined the contribution of racial segregation. Residential segregation is associated with differing health outcomes by race/ethnicity for various diseases, including HIV. This commentary documents differing HIV and COVID-19 outcomes and service delivery by race/ethnicity and the crucial role of racial segregation. Using publicly available Census data, we divide US counties into quintiles by percentage of non-Hispanic white residents and examine HIV diagnoses and COVID-19 per 100,000 population. HIV diagnoses decrease as the proportion of white residents increase across US counties. COVID-19 diagnoses follow a similar pattern Counties with the highest proportion of white residents have the fewest cases of COVID-19 irrespective of geographic region or state political party inclination (i.e., red or blue states). Moreover, comparatively fewer COVID-19 diagnoses have occurred in primarily white counties throughout the duration of the US COVID-19 pandemic. Systemic drivers place racial minorities at greater risk for COVID-19 and HIV. Individual-level characteristics (e.g., underlying health conditions for COVID-19 or risk behavior for HIV) do not fully explain excess disease burden in racial minority communities. Corresponding interventions must use structural- and policy-level solutions to address racial and ethnic health disparities.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Pneumonia, Viral
/
Ethnicity
/
HIV Infections
/
Residence Characteristics
/
Coronavirus Infections
/
Health Status Disparities
/
Healthcare Disparities
/
Pandemics
/
Social Segregation
Type of study:
Diagnostic study
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
North America
Language:
English
Journal:
AIDS Patient Care STDS
Journal subject:
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
/
SINDROME DA IMUNODEFICIENCIA ADQUIRIDA (AIDS)
Year:
2020
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Apc.2020.0155
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