CDC: People of color hospitalized for COVID-19 at much higher rate than whites

Hospitalization rates are roughly four times higher for Black, Hispanic and Native American people infected with COVID-19 than for whites, according to data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) between March 1 and Nov. 7. The data are consistent with earlier reports and should be a “wake-up call,” Jarvis Chen, a social epidemiologist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, told CNN. Health officials should use the demographic data to implement sensible sick pay policies and target the distribution of personal protective equipment and COVID-19 vaccines, he said. (CNN article, 11/17/20)