Disparities in the Population at Risk of Severe Illness From COVID-19 by Race/Ethnicity and Income

Identifying those at heightened risk of severe illness from novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is essential for modeling the disease, designing return-to-work criteria, allocating economic assistance, advancing health equity, and limiting morbidity and mortality. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified the criteria associated with the risk of severe complications from COVID-19 infection. Structural inequities have shaped racial, ethnic, and income disparities for the majority of these criteria. To date, there has been limited analysis of the proportion of the population that is at risk in the U.S. on the basis of these criteria, risk factors by race/ethnicity or income. Preliminary national data on cases by race/ethnicity suggest that disparities in hospitalization are already developing. Quantifying disparities in risk is important for allocating resources to prevent, identify, and treat COVID-19‒related severe illness and limit diverging outcomes for already vulnerable subgroups.