New data shows disparities in COVID-19 hospitalizations

The first federal report on who requires hospital care for Covid-19 in the U.S. has found that more men than women have been hospitalized for the disease and that African Americans disproportionately need hospital care (Source: “Who gets hospitalized for Covid-19? Report shows differences by race and sex,” STAT News, April 9, 2020).

An analysis published Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention includes hospitalization data from a surveillance network tracking Covid-19 in 14 states —  covering roughly 10% of the U.S. population — including statistics by race and sex. Reports from a small number of cities and states have suggested that the new disease is affecting African Americans especially hard, prompting doctors, lawyers, public health officials and lawmakers to call for a national breakdown of cases by race and ethnicity so that medical care can be matched to the greatest need.

The new findings are consistent with those earlier localized reports, as well as data from other countries on who is most at risk. But this CDC report, which stratifies hospital patients by sex and race, represents the first epidemiological evidence from U.S. health officials of what others have observed.