tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Public Health Rep
. 2021 Dec 30;333549211061313.
doi: 10.1177/00333549211061313. Online ahead of print.
Disaggregating Asian Race Reveals COVID-19 Disparities Among Asian American Patients at New York City's Public Hospital System
Roopa Kalyanaraman Marcello[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Johanna Dolle[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Areeba Tariq[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Sharanjit Kaur[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Linda Wong[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Joan Curcio[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Rosy Thachil[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Stella S Yi[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Nadia Islam[SUP] 4 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Objectives: Data on the health burden of COVID-19 among Asian American people of various ethnic subgroups remain limited. We examined COVID-19 outcomes of people of various Asian ethnic subgroups and other racial and ethnic groups in an urban safety net hospital system.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 85 328 adults aged ≥18 tested for COVID-19 at New York City's public hospital system from March 1 through May 31, 2020. We examined COVID-19 positivity, hospitalization, and mortality, as well as demographic characteristics and comorbidities known to worsen COVID-19 outcomes. We conducted adjusted multivariable regression analyses examining racial and ethnic disparities in mortality.
Results: Of 9971 Asian patients (11.7% of patients overall), 48.2% were South Asian, 22.2% were Chinese, and 29.6% were in other Asian ethnic groups. South Asian patients had the highest rates of COVID-19 positivity (30.8%) and hospitalization (51.6%) among Asian patients, second overall only to Hispanic (32.1% and 45.8%, respectively) and non-Hispanic Black (27.5% and 57.5%, respectively) patients. Chinese patients had a mortality rate of 35.7%, highest of all racial and ethnic groups. After adjusting for demographic characteristics and comorbidities, only Chinese patients had significantly higher odds of mortality than non-Hispanic White patients (odds ratio = 1.44; 95% CI, 1.04-2.01).
Conclusions: Asian American people, particularly those of South Asian and Chinese descent, bear a substantial and disproportionate health burden of COVID-19. These findings underscore the need for improved data collection and reporting and public health efforts to mitigate disparities in COVID-19 morbidity and mortality among these groups.
Keywords: Asian Americans; COVID-19; coronavirus; health disparities; immigrants.
. 2021 Dec 30;333549211061313.
doi: 10.1177/00333549211061313. Online ahead of print.
Disaggregating Asian Race Reveals COVID-19 Disparities Among Asian American Patients at New York City's Public Hospital System
Roopa Kalyanaraman Marcello[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Johanna Dolle[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Areeba Tariq[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Sharanjit Kaur[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Linda Wong[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Joan Curcio[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Rosy Thachil[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Stella S Yi[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Nadia Islam[SUP] 4 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 34965776
- DOI: 10.1177/00333549211061313
Abstract
Objectives: Data on the health burden of COVID-19 among Asian American people of various ethnic subgroups remain limited. We examined COVID-19 outcomes of people of various Asian ethnic subgroups and other racial and ethnic groups in an urban safety net hospital system.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 85 328 adults aged ≥18 tested for COVID-19 at New York City's public hospital system from March 1 through May 31, 2020. We examined COVID-19 positivity, hospitalization, and mortality, as well as demographic characteristics and comorbidities known to worsen COVID-19 outcomes. We conducted adjusted multivariable regression analyses examining racial and ethnic disparities in mortality.
Results: Of 9971 Asian patients (11.7% of patients overall), 48.2% were South Asian, 22.2% were Chinese, and 29.6% were in other Asian ethnic groups. South Asian patients had the highest rates of COVID-19 positivity (30.8%) and hospitalization (51.6%) among Asian patients, second overall only to Hispanic (32.1% and 45.8%, respectively) and non-Hispanic Black (27.5% and 57.5%, respectively) patients. Chinese patients had a mortality rate of 35.7%, highest of all racial and ethnic groups. After adjusting for demographic characteristics and comorbidities, only Chinese patients had significantly higher odds of mortality than non-Hispanic White patients (odds ratio = 1.44; 95% CI, 1.04-2.01).
Conclusions: Asian American people, particularly those of South Asian and Chinese descent, bear a substantial and disproportionate health burden of COVID-19. These findings underscore the need for improved data collection and reporting and public health efforts to mitigate disparities in COVID-19 morbidity and mortality among these groups.
Keywords: Asian Americans; COVID-19; coronavirus; health disparities; immigrants.