COVID-19: a Review of the Literature Regarding African American Patient Outcomes

In December 2019, COVID-19 was detected in Wuhan, China, and declared a pandemic in March 2020. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says it has been detected in nearly 200 countries and is an ongoing concern in the United States. Various reports provided anecdotal evidence that many ethnic minorities and specifically African Americans have become ill and died from COVID-19. Coincidentally, several states have provided data that at least initially corroborate the anecdotes. Narratives and descriptive data were compiled from medical and public health professionals to ascertain whether medical evidence supports the over-representation of state-level total infections and deaths of African Americans. The ramifications are critical for African Americans, non-medical professional, citizens, and also to the reduction and mitigation of the novel coronavirus as an American pandemic. The medical and health policy literature suggests that African Americans are burdened with a disproportionate share of persons contracting and dying due to COVID-19. Authors and witnesses believe that their occupation as essential workers, poverty, health access, government distrust, comorbidities, and Social Determinants of Health (SDH) are important factors for further research. For these reasons, federal funding of a rigorous and robust national public health study of COVID-19 and African Americans is highly recommended and the next logical step to develop mitigation strategies that reduce infection, mortality, and disparate medical outcomes.