By Zoe Christen Jones
Children and young adults of color are dying from the coronavirus pandemic at a much higher rate than their peers, according to new data from the CDC. In more than 390,000 cases and 121 adolescent COVID-19 deaths analyzed by researchers, over 78% of the deceased were children of color.
In the CDC's weekly morbidity and mortality report, researchers inspected young adult deaths under 21 that were reported between February 12 and July 31, which showed a widening racial disparity. Of the children who died, 45% were Hispanic, 29% were Black, and 4% were American Indian or Native Alaskan. Even more concerning, a larger percentage of deaths were among young adults aged 18-20, the most prevalent age for college-bound students.
The race disparity surrounding the novel coronavirus outbreak has historically gone beyond adolescents, who represent a smaller percentage of at-risk individuals. In late March, a peak in the coronavirus outbreak, Black and Hispanic individuals made up one-third of hospitalized individuals. However, research has found COVID-19 kills people of color under 65 at twice the rate of their White counterparts, while people of color make up less than 45% of COVID-19 deaths at all ages. Read more >>