Researchers at Johns Hopkins found that the Latino population appears to be more vulnerable to COVID-19. Looking at testing in the Baltimore-Washington area, over 42 percent of Latinos had positive tests, compared to just over 17 percent of blacks, and around 9 percent of whites.
The study, recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that around 3 in 5 Latinos testing positive were young, between 18 and 44 years old. Latinos who ended up in the hospital were also much less likely to have been diagnosed with preexisting health conditions than people of other races and ethnicities.
The study’s researchers believe crowded living conditions and the economic need to continue working during the outbreak contributed to higher rates of infection among Latino communities. It’s also important to recognize that this population is less likely to have health insurance than other races or ethnic groups.
