Impact of COVID-19 on minoritized and marginalized communities

This article is part of a series of COVID-19 resources on health equity.

Marginalized and minoritized patients have and will suffer more acutely during the COVID-19 crisis. The resources on this page explore the grim details of how long-standing disparities have been exacerbated by the pandemic.

The impact of COVID-19 on the Black community

1. Scrutiny of social distancing policing in NYC as 35 of 40 arrests are Black

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2. Among the reasons COVID-19 is worse for Black communities: Police violence

3. Chicago: Black people are 30% of population but account for 60% of COVID-19 deaths

4. It’s not too late to save Black lives

5. The disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Black health care workers in the U.S.

6. Black Americans dying of COVID-19 at three times the rate of white people

7. Questions of bias in COVID-19 treatment add to the mourning for Black families

8. COVID-19 highlights the harsh reality facing Black girls, girls of color

9. Stop blaming black people for dying of the coronavirus

10. When white America catches a cold, black America catches pneumonia (Video)

11. Black Americans face alarming rates of coronavirus infection in some states

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12. Chicago’s coronavirus disparity: Black Chicagoans are dying at nearly six times the rate of white residents, data show

13. Black doctors face added burden in outbreak: Patient trust 

14. Coronavirus is disproportionately killing African Americans

15. Coronavirus exposing unequal health care system, minorities get worse care

16. The racial time bomb in the COVID-19 crisis 

17. Ring the alarm: COVID-19 presents grave danger to communities of color

18. Distrust of health care system adds to toll in rural Black communities gutted by COVID-19 

19. When systemic racism meets the coronavirus, Black women suffer economically

The impact of COVID-19 on Native American communities

1. COVID-19s threat to Native American communities

2. Native Americans make up 31% of New Mexico COVID-19 cases

3. How COVID-19 is impacting indigenous peoples in the U.S.

4. Navajo Nation surpasses New York state for the highest COVID-19 infection rate in the U.S.

5. 10 steps to save Native Americans from COVID-19 catastrophe

6. Doctors Without Borders dispatches team to the Navajo Nation

7. NDN Collective COVID-19 response project

8. Tribes were supposed to get $8 billion in COVID-19 aid. They’ve gotten $0.

9. Nevada tribes fear loss of elders, language and revenue from COVID-19

10. No running water. No electricity. On Navajo Nation, coronavirus creates worry and confusion as cases surge

11. Navajo COVID-19 GoFundMe 

12. This is our Pearl Harbor moment 

13. COVID-19 & Indian country: Pandemic exposes Navajo Nation’s water access crisis & health disparities

14. Health disparities leave Native Americans more vulnerable to COVID-19

15. Wisconsin’s tribes have weathered COVID-19 better than tribes in other states how did they do it 

16. Native American COVID-19 emergency toolkit

17. Federal investigation finds hospital violated patients’ rights by profiling and separating Native mothers and newborns

18. Native Americans feel devastated by the virus yet overlooked in the data

The impact of COVID-19 on Latinx communities

1. When it comes to keeping people safe, Latinx communities are an afterthought

2. Coronavirus case rates and death rates for Latinos in the United States

3. Latinos keep getting left out COVID-19 relief packages

4. How many Chicago Latinos have died from COVID-19? There are no up-to-date numbers

5. As coronavirus cases rise, public health experts race to reach Latinos

6. For Latinos & COVID-19, doctors are seeing an alarming disparity

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7. Local Latinx community disproportionately impacted by COVID-19

8. Central Health says Latinx patients test positive for COVID-19 at a rate 3 times higher than others

9. Hispanic community outreach taskforce to tackle high COVID-19 rates in Central Texas

10. COVID-19 Latino health equity

11. Coronavirus causing historic decimation of Latinos

12. Becoming Latinx culturally responsive during COVID-19 era

13. CDC finds Hispanics hit disproportionately hard by workplace outbreaks

14. Spanish speakers with COVID-19 face extra challenges in hospitals

15. Hispanic children eight times more likely to be hospitalized COVID-19 study

The impact of COVID-19 on Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities

1. In LA county, Pacific Islanders are dying from coronavirus at a rate 12 times higher than whites

2. Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities hardest hit by COVID-19

3. Filipinos make up 4% of nurses in the US, but 31.5% of nurse deaths from COVID-19

4. System is so broken COVID-19 devastates Pacific Islander communities in the U.S.

The impact of COVID-19 on rural and low-income communities

1. "People are going to go hungry": pandemic effects could leave 54m Americans without food

2. Rural response to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

3. COVID-19 is already gutting the South's health care infrastructure

4. Rural America is not ready for COVID-19

5. A former farmworker on American hypocrisy: In the pandemic, “illegal” workers are now deemed “essential” by the federal government.

6. Who is most at risk in the coronavirus crisis: 24 million of the lowest-income workers

7. Not everybody can work from home: Black and Hispanic workers are much less likely to be able to telework

8. Essential farm workers putting food on your tables with no sick pay and few safety regulations

9. Health professionals warn of ‘explosion’ of coronavirus cases in minority communities

The impact of COVID-19 on the LGBTQ+ community

1. LGBTQ community may be 'particularly vulnerable' to coronavirus pandemic. Here's why.

2. Why LGBTQ people are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19

3. The lives and livelihoods of many LGBTQ people are at risk

4. LGBTQ community vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic

The impact of COVID-19 on pregnant women and mothers

1. Breastfeeding and coronavirus disease 2019

2. World Health Organization Q&A on COVID-19, pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding

3. CDC interim considerations for infection prevention and control of COVID-19 in inpatient obstetric healthcare settings 

4. How to talk to kids about coronavirus with Women's March and Moms Rising (Video)

5. COVID-19 restrictions on birth & breastfeeding: Disproportionately harming Black and Native women 

6. During coronavirus lockdowns, some doctors wondered: Where are the preemies?

The impact of COVID-19 on immigrants and refugees in the U.S.

1. Conditions of immigration detention increase risks for COVID-19 disease-interactions

2. Immigrant detainees stage protest for more COVID-19 protections: “we are not safe”

3. Immigrant detainees exposed to disinfectant sprays that cause bleeding and burns and permanent damage

4. Left out of federal benefits undocumented immigrants are running out of options

5. Undocumented immigrants working on pandemic's front lines fear for health and home

Find more COVID-19 health equity resources

Visit the COVID-19  health equity resources overview page or view featured topics for more resources:

• AMA and Center for Health Equity resources on COVID-19
• Health literacy resources on inequities & for non-English speakers
• The role of data collection in the COVID-19 pandemic
• COVID-19 FAQs: Health equity in a pandemic