Are Clinicians Contributing to Excess African American COVID-19 Deaths? Unbeknownst to Them, They May Be

Milam, Adam J.; Furr-Holden, Debra; Edwards-Johnson, Jennifer; Webb, Birgete; Patton, John W.; Ezekwemba, Nnayereugo C.; Porter, Lekiesha; Davis, TomMario; Chukwurah, Marius; Webb, Antonio J.; Simon, Kevin; Franck, Geden; Anthony, Joshua; Onuoha, Gerald; Brown, Italo M.; Carson, James T.; Stephens, Brent C.

African Americans are overrepresented among reported coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases and deaths. There are a multitude of factors that may explain the African American disparity in COVID-19 outcomes, including higher rates of comorbidities. While individual-level factors predictably contribute to disparate COVID-19 outcomes, systematic and structural factors have not yet been reported. It stands to reason that implicit biases may fuel the racial disparity in COVID-19 outcomes. To address this racial disparity, we must apply a health equity lens and disaggregate data explicitly for African Americans, as well as other populations at risk for biased treatment in the health-care system.