Comorbidities and Disparities in Outcomes of COVID-19 Among African American and White Patients

Initial surveillance data suggests a disproportionately high number of deaths among Black patients with COVID-19. However, high-risk comorbidities are often over-represented in the Black population, and understanding whether the disparity is entirely secondary to them is essential. We performed a retrospective cohort study using real-time analysis of electronic medical records (EMR) of patients from multiple healthcare organizations in the United States. Our results showed that Black patients with COVID-19 have a significantly higher risk of mortality, hospitalization, and invasive mechanical ventilation compared to White patients. The incremental risk of poor outcomes in Blacks persists despite accounting for a higher prevalence of comorbidities. This may point to the disparities in socioeconomic determinants of health affecting Blacks and the need for an improvement in the care of this vulnerable population.