COVID-19 hospitalization, death rates among black Americans considerably higher than white Americans: study

Although black Americans are not substantially more likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19, their hospitalization and death rates are considerably higher than white Americans, according to a newly published study.

Ohio University researchers examined the relationship between systemic racism, residential segregation and racial disparities in COVID-19 deaths in the United States.

They found that death rates among both black and white individuals were higher in areas with more residential segregation, with black individuals' death rates being almost twice as high.

Their findings reinforce that the death rate was higher among Black individuals because of different social environments rather than physiology or genetics, according to a release of the university on Thursday.

The results of the study demonstrate that residential segregation is associated with negative outcomes for black and white Americans, but disproportionately impacts black residents, according to the research team.

"Health disparities are present with almost every illness and have persisted for years, and the gap isn't closing, especially between Black and white Americans. We wanted to understand what was driving those disparities to find better ways to reduce them," said Berkeley Franz, associate professor at the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine of Ohio University.