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Coronavirus disease COVID , caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, is a pandemic with more than 32 million cases and more than , deaths nationwide. With the significant health consequences seen secondary to COVID, health care disparities have been further exacerbated. Mechanisms that have been proposed to account for the increased disparity seen during the COVID pandemic are multifactorial. This review of the literature outlines the unique barriers to health and disparities that are associated with vulnerable communities who have been most impacted by the COVID pandemic in the United States.
With the significant health consequences seen secondary to COVID, health care disparities have been further exacerbated [1]. Not only are infection rates higher in BIPOC Black, indigenous, and people of color and marginalized populations, but consequences and complications after COVID infection are significantly elevated as well. The reasons that have been proposed for the differential morbidity and mortality seen during the COVID pandemic are multifactorial. Social determinants of health play a central role in the disparities seen.
Vulnerable BIPOC communities historically have experienced generations of systemic divestment, which has led to large gaps in infrastructure and resources. In this review of the literature, we outline the unique barriers to health care and highlight specific disparities that are associated with particular communities most impacted by the COVID pandemic in the United States. Although this summary does not capture the totality of disparities affecting communities across the United States, it highlights trends in many vulnerable populations.
Analysis of racial trends from the summer of suggest that infection and death rates in Black counties were three and six times those in predominantly White counties, respectively [2]. This trend is most pronounced in rural Black communities [3]. The causes of this disparity are numerous, and underlying medical conditions and social determinants of health have a significant impact.
