More than 80 percent of hospitalized covid-19 patients in Georgia were African American, study finds
As Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) moves to reopen more businesses, a new study underscores the disproportionate toll the virus has taken on the state’s African American population.
Surveying eight Georgia hospitals, researchers found that in a sample of 305 covid-19 patients, 247 were black — more than 80 percent and more than they expected.
“It is important to continue ongoing efforts to understand the reasons for these racial disparities, including the role of socioeconomic and occupational factors in transmission,” the researchers wrote. “Public officials should consider racial differences among patients affected by COVID-19 when planning prevention activities.”
While limited by time and geography, the results of the study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Wednesday echo research showing black Americans are more likely to be infected and die of covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. [Continue reading…]