American Indians, Alaska Natives hit harder by COVID-19,
U.S. CDC says
Send a link to a friend
[August 20, 2020]
(Reuters) - American Indians and Alaska
Natives have been hit harder by COVID-19 than the U.S. white population
and have been more likely to become infected by the novel coronavirus at
a younger age, a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report
showed on Wednesday.
|
The incidence of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases among people
identified as American Indians or Alaska Natives was 3.5 times that
of non-Hispanic whites, making them one of the racial and ethnic
minority groups at highest risk, according to the study based on
data from 23 U.S. states from Jan. 22 to July 3.
The data also showed that those testing positive for the coronavirus
tended to be younger than white non-Hispanic people with COVID-19.
The researchers found that 12.9% of infections among American
Indians or Alaska Natives were in people under age 18, compared to
4.3% among non-Hispanic whites.
The study added to a growing body of evidence that long-standing
health and social inequities have resulted in increased risk for
infection and death from COVID-19 among American Indian and Alaska
Native populations, the CDC researchers said.
[to top of second column] |
Other factors such as reliance on shared transportation, limited access to
running water and household size could increase risk for virus transmission, the
researchers added.
"American Indian and Alaska Native people have suffered a disproportionate
burden of COVID-19 illness during the pandemic," CDC Director Robert Redfield
said in a statement.
The CDC said it has provided $200 million in funding to support tribes and
tribal organizations in carrying out COVID-19 preparedness and response
activities.
(Reporting by Mrinalika Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Will Dunham)
[© 2020 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2020 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |