ABSTRACT
Preliminary evidence indicates that the experience of the novel coronavirus is not shared equally across geographic areas. Findings in the United States suggest that the burden of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality may be hardest felt in disadvantaged and racially segregated places. Deprived neighbourhoods are disproportionately populated by people of colour, the same populations that are becoming sicker and dying more often from COVID-19. This commentary examines how structurally vulnerable neighbourhoods contribute to racial/ethnic inequities in SARS-COV-2 exposure and COVID-19 morbidity and mortality and considers opportunities to intervene through place-based initiatives and the implementation of a Health in All Policies strategy.
Acknowledgments
We would like to acknowledge the inspiration provided by the following scholars through public presentations about structural racism and COVID-19 at the University of California, Berkeley: Dr. Amani Allen, Dr. Jason Corburn, Dr. Denise Herd, Dr. Nancy Krieger, Dr. Cassie Marshall, Dr. Corinne Riddell, Dr. Rachel Morello-Frosch, and Dr. Osagie Obasogie. We would also like to thank Elleni Hailu, MPH, for her thought partnership.
Disclosure statement
We have no financial interest or benefit related to this work to disclose.
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Notes on contributors
Rachel L. Berkowitz
Rachel L. Berkowitz is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow. Her work focuses on neighbourhood quality, racial/ethnic health inequities, patient-centered healthcare, and place-based community-driven development.
Xing Gao
Xing Gao is a doctoral student. Her research centers around the place-effect on health for communities of colour and geospatial manifestation of structural racism.
Eli K. Michaels
Eli K. Michaels is a doctoral candidate. She is interested in novel approaches to measuring racism at multiple social levels and examining associations with chronic disease progression across the life course.
Mahasin S. Mujahid
Mahasin S. Mujahid is the Chancellor’s Professor of Public Health and an Associate Professor of Epidemiology. Her research is devoted to examining neighbourhood health effects, cardiovascular health disparities, and racial/ethnic health inequities over the life course.