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CDC Finds COVID-19 Kills Young Black, Latinx and Indigenous People at Far Higher Rates Than Others

One of the patterns weโ€™ve seen as the coronavirus pandemic has gripped the world is that children are, fortunately, not likely to experience the worst effects of the virus. But that doesnโ€™t mean they canโ€™t get extremely sick, and in some cases, die. A recent study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds…

One of the patterns weโ€™ve seen as the coronavirus pandemic has gripped the world is that children are, fortunately, not likely to experience the worst effects of the virus. But that doesnโ€™t mean they canโ€™t get extremely sick, and in some cases, die. A recent study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that when children and young adults do die from COVID-19, they are overwhelmingly children of color.

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As USA Today reports, researchers found โ€œstaggering racial disparityโ€ among children and teens. Surveying more than 390,000 coronavirus cases and 121 deaths among people under the age of 21, the study found that young Hispanic, Black and Native Americans made up 78 percent of all recorded deaths between Feb 12 and July 31.

The pattern mirrors the way the coronavirus has moved through the United States at large. Previous research found that, for all Americans under the age of 65, the rate of COVID-19 deaths for people of color was twice as high as it was for white people.

To put the latest study in perspective, young Hispanic, Black and Native Americans comprise 41 percent of all people under 21 in the U.S.โ€”a substantial proportion, but by no means a majority.

Researchers also speculated the reasons for the higher rates were likely the same as they were for adults. The CDC report found that 3 out of 4 children who died from COVID-19 had at least one underlying condition, like asthma, obesity and cardiac issues.

But itโ€™s also important to note that those conditions disproportionately affect children of color not for personal reasons, but systemic ones.

The CDC report notes that โ€œcrowded living conditions, food and housing insecurity, wealth and educational gaps, and racial discriminationโ€ likely factored into the deep racial divide in COVID-19 deaths. Researchers also pointed to the fact that nonwhite adults are more likely to be classified as essential workers, who are at higher risk of being exposed to the novel virus. Disparities in child healthcare accessโ€”such as lack of insurance, childcare, transportation, or paid sick leaveโ€”also likely play a role in the higher death rates.

The stark racial disparities are alarming and indicative of how the virus has affected Americans across the country over the last six months. Butโ€”particularly as young people across the country return to school, and in some places, in-person instructionโ€”itโ€™s important to emphasize that children still have an extremely low risk of dying from COVID-19. As USA Today writes, young people can certainly carry and pass on the virus, but Americans under the age of 21 comprise โ€œjust 0.08 percent of the more than 190,000 deaths reported across the country.โ€

Still, families across the United States should take note that childrenโ€”especially Native, Latinx and Black American kidsโ€”are not immune to COVID-19. That the racial divide persists across age groups makes clear that the coronavirus is both a racial justice and a public health issue.

โ€œThis is the strongest evidence yet that there are deep racial disparities in children just like there are in adults,โ€ John Williams, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at UPMC Childrenโ€™s Hospital of Pittsburgh told the Washington Post. โ€œWhat that should mean for people is steps like wearing a mask are not just about protecting your family and yourself. It is about racial equity.โ€

Straight From The Root

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