Ethnic minority groups are disproportionately affected by the novel coronavirus, with Black and Asian at increased risk of infection compared with white individuals, according to an analysis published in The Lancet medical journal.
About 18.7 million patients from 50 studies were included to establish the findings, the analysis said, according to a report by the Reuters news agency.
Therefore, they continued to have contact with others through work or commuting, thereby being left more exposed to infection.
They are also more likely to have lower socioeconomic status, which may increase the likelihood of living in overcrowded households or accommodation with shared facilities, the findings suggested.
Black people are twice as likely to become infected with COVID-19 as white people, and people from Asian backgrounds are one and a half times as likely, the researchers found.
The study was conducted as a review and a meta-analysis to explore the relationship between ethnicity and clinical outcomes in COVID-19.
Reference: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/11/13/minorities-disproportionately-affected-by-coronavirus-report