Risk for COVID-19 infection and death among Latinos in the United States: examining heterogeneity in transmission dynamics

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to ascertain COVID-19 transmission dynamics among Latino communities nationally. Methods: We compared predictors of COVID-19 cases and deaths between disproportionally Latino counties (17.8% Latino population) and all other counties through May 11, 2020. Adjusted rate ratios (aRRs) were estimated using COVID-19 cases and deaths via zero-inflated binomial regression models. Results: COVID-19 diagnoses rates were greater in Latino counties nationally (90.9 vs. 82.0 per 100,000). In multivariable analysis, COVID-19 cases were greater in Northeastern and Midwestern Latino counties (aRR: 1.42, 95% CI: 1.11e1.84, and aRR: 1.70, 95% CI: 1.57e1.85, respectively). COVID-19 deaths were greater in Midwestern Latino counties (aRR: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.04e1.34). COVID-19 diagnoses were associated with counties with greater monolingual Spanish speakers, employment rates, heart disease deaths, less social distancing, and days since the first reported case. COVID-19 deaths were associated with household occupancy density, air pollution, employment, days since the first reported case, and age (fewer <35 yo). Conclusions: COVID-19 risks and deaths among Latino populations differ by region. Structural factors place Latino populations and particularly monolingual Spanish speakers at elevated risk for COVID-19 acquisition.

Trans-ethnic analysis reveals genetic and non-genetic associations with COVID-19 susceptibility and severity

“…Both Latino and African American groups reported a higher rate of COVID-19 infection and, as reported elsewhere 2,18,19 , our data show an elevated risk of hospitalization in these populations. For Latino respondents, the higher rate of hospitalization was broadly consistent with the higher rate of infection.…”

The Disproportionate Impact of COVID-19 on Older Latino Mortality: The Rapidly Diminishing Latino Paradox

“…Our results indicate that the Latino mortality advantage relative to Whites has already disappeared among individuals 65 to 74 years of age and is likely to also vanish in the coming months among those in the 55-64 and 75-84 age categories. Emerging evidence indicates that advanced age and underlying health conditions significantly contribute to the severity of infections, hospitalizations, and mortality caused by COVID-19 (Bialek et al, 2020;Garg et al, 2020), and Black and Latino communities are particularly hit hard by the ongoing pandemic (Millett et al, 2020;Rodriguez-Diaz et al, 2020). This is particularly concerning as older Latinos are more likely than Whites to have underlying health conditions (i.e.…”

“…Nonetheless, despite the enduring longevity of the Latino epidemiological paradox, its persistence is under threat. Mounting evidence indicates that COVID-19 morbidity and mortality has been particularly devastating to Black and Latino communities (Millett et al, 2020;Rodriguez-Diaz et al, 2020). Long-standing social inequities in social determinants of health driven by structural racism place Black and Latino adults at an elevated risk of COVID-19 infection, severe illness, and death compared to Whites (Laster Pirtle, 2020).…”

White Counties Stand Apart: The Primacy of Residential Segregation in COVID-19 and HIV Diagnoses

“…Our published epidemiological analyses point to specific factors that exacerbate COVID-19 diagnoses in black 17 and Latino 23 communities, including poverty and living in densely occupied households, living in localities with greater air pollution, lack of health insurance, and being employed in jobs that increase exposure to SARS-COV-2. Our data also show that monolingual Spanish speakers (an economically and politically vulnerable community) have an elevated risk of being diagnosed with COVID-19, 23 possibly due to the same systemic inequities that place this same population at a higher risk for HIV opportunistic infections. 24 Conversely, fewer white Americans feel at risk for COVID-19 as the demographics of those stricken by the pandemic have become clearer.…”