Black patients at higher risk for contracting COVID-19, according to new research
Results of an analysis published in the Journal of the American Thoracic Society found that Black individuals were twice as likely as White individuals to test positive for COVID-19. The average age of all participants in the study was 46. However, those infected were on average 52 years old, compared to those who tested negative, who were 45 on average.
“Association of Black Race with Outcomes in COVID-19 Disease: A Retrospective Cohort Study” is not the first to examine race. However, it provides further evidence that, while anyone can get COVID-19, race is indeed a factor in the extent to which some populations are affected. Of the 4,413 individuals tested, 17.8% tested positive. Of those who tested positive, 57.6% were Black while 24.3% were White.
Study author Ayodeji Adegunsoye, MD, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Chicago Medicine, sees logic in the results of the analysis as it relates to the infection rates along racial lines.