Disparities in COVID-19 Hospitalizations and Mortality among Black and Hispanic Patients: Cross-Sectional Analysis from the Greater Houston Metropolitan Area

Pan, A.; Khan, O.; Meeks, J.; Boom, M.; Masud, F.; Andrieni, J.; Phillips, R.; Tiruneh, Y.; Kash, B.; Vahidy, F.

Disparate racial and ethnic burdens of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may be attributable to higher susceptibility to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) or to factors such as differences in hospitalization and care provision. In our cross-sectional analysis of lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases from a tertiary, eight-hospital healthcare system (Houston Methodist) across greater Houston, multivariable logistic regression models were fitted to evaluate the odds of hospitalization and mortality for non-Hispanic Blacks (NHBs) vs. non-Hispanic Whites (NHWs) and Hispanics vs. non-Hispanics. Between March 3rd and July 18th, 2020, 70,496 individuals were tested for SARS-CoV-2; 12,084 (17.1%) tested positive, of whom 3,536 (29.3%) were hospitalized. Among positive cases, NHBs and Hispanics were significantly younger than NHWs and Hispanics, respectively (mean age NHBs vs. NHWs: 46.0 vs. 51.7 year and Hispanic vs. non-Hispanic: 44.0 vs. 48.7 years). Despite younger age, NHBs (vs. NHWs) had a higher prevalence of diabetes (25.2%), hypertension (47.7%), and chronic kidney disease (5.0%). Both minority groups resided in lower median income and higher population density areas. In fully adjusted models, NHBs and Hispanics had higher likelihoods of hospitalization, aOR (CI): 1.42 (1.24-1.63) and 1.61 (1.46-1.78), respectively. No differences were observed in intensive care unit (ICU) utilization or treatment parameters. Models adjusted for demographics, vital signs, laboratory parameters, hospital complications, and ICU admission demonstrated non-significantly lower likelihoods of in-hospital mortality among NHBs and Hispanics, aOR (CI): 0.65 (0.40-1.03) and 0.89 (0.59-1.31), respectively. Our data did not demonstrate racial and ethnic differences in care provision and hospital outcomes. Higher susceptibility of racial and ethnic minorities to SARS-CoV-2 and subsequent hospitalization may be driven primarily by social determinants.