Understanding the social determinants of health and genetic factors contributing to the differences observed in COVID-19 incidence and mortality between underrepresented and other communities

COVID-19 has been a devastating disease, especially in underserved communities. Data has shown that Indigenous peoples, Latinx communities, and Black Americans have a 3.3, 2.4, and 2 times higher mortality rate than White communities, respectively, due to COVID-19. Therefore, in this paper, we sought to understand how Social Determinants of Health and genetic factors influence COVID-19 incidence, mortality rates, and complications by assessing existing literature. Studies showed that identifying with a racial/ethnic minority, being homeless, housing insecurity, lower household median income, and living in an area with decreased air quality were associated with higher incidence and mortality from COVID-19. Analyses of these studies also showed a lack of resources to collect patients’ social determinants of health, revealing an urgent need to create databases with information on local support programs and operationalize the referral and tracking outcomes to address the health inequities for Black, Indigenous, and Latinx communities.